KARACHI, Sept 5: The shortage of passport booklets has been causing an inordinate delay in the issuance of passports to the applicants, officials sources said on Friday.

They said that normal delivery of a passport, which used to take seven days in the past, was being made in 15 days at present because the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation was unable to maintain the smooth supply of booklets.

However, a senior official of the PSPC claimed that the regular supply of the booklets remained suspended only for a week, as some of the booklet material could not be shipped in time by the importers. He said that the PSPC had already restored the supply of the booklets a week ago. There was no backlog of the supplies, he added.

The sources said that the passport department used to requisition booklets once in a year and the department was seldom short of booklets. "But, now it places orders for booklets after every six months and could not maintain its stocks," they said.

Another official of the department said that the delay was caused due to the shortage of staff while the people visiting passport office alleged that the officials had devised several ways to mint money from the applicants.

Mentioning that the office is issuing 1,000 passports daily, the official said that there were 80 staffers only, who were managing the whole work. The applicants, however, complained that those who processed their applications through agents were getting their passport without any delay.

Over 300 agents roam around the passport office in Saddar daily and many of them have set up makeshift offices. The administration had removed tables, chairs and benches of the agents several times in the past. However, days after every operation, they appear again.

An applicant, who got his passport without any hassle or delay, said that the agents had strong connections with the officials inside the passport office. "If one goes directly, they (officials) always raise one objection or the other, but if an agent is processing your application there will be hardly any problem," he said.

Sources said that the agents charge fee which varies from task to task and often include the "due share" of the passport officials. The agents roam in and around without any check or restriction, though the armed uniformed guards of the department are posted at the passport office.

The only passport office in the city of over 130 million population is also the reason for delay in issuance of passports, an applicant said, adding that growing number of people are now applying for urgent passport delivery.

Amir Azam, an applicant for urgent passport, told Dawn that he had to opt for urgent passport as he could not wait for 15 or more days. Fiyyaz Durrani, another applicant for urgent passport, complained that he was told by the passport officials to obtain his passport at 2pm. "It is already 2:30pm and now the officials are asking me to wait till 3pm," he said.

Mrs Raza said that it took her more than three hours to submit application for urgent passport. "The officials had asked me to come at sharp 2pm for the delivery. I came here at 2pm and had been waiting for half an hour to get the passport, but, nobody is there to attend us," she said.

The woman said that she had first visited the passport office 15 year ago. "Nothing has changed: the same worn-out offices, same cantankerous staff with their lackadaisical attitude. It's only that my nerves have frayed over the years. My legs are aching and I can't stand here any more," she said.

Rabia Wasim, another dismayed applicant, was critical of the urgent fee and the lack of facilities for applicants. "They are charging Rs4,000 for an urgent passport and they can't even place seats and provide drinking water to the applicants, especially when they do not meet their deadlines themselves," she added.

As per rules only four photographs and two photocopies of the national identity cards of a bonafide applicant is required for the issuance of the passport. Several boards inscribed with such instructions have been placed inside the passport office. But, a large number of applicants complained that the officials were asking them to bring certain documents, like educational certificates, which were quite irrelevant.