Directorate of Immigration & Passports, Government of Pakistan Carelessness Threatens the Sacred Duty of Hajj Pilgrims

Will the Hajj Pilgrims be able to fulfill their duty?

Karachi (Syed Talat A. Shah) Just like in the past, the helpless and oppressed people of Pakistan, along with their other basic rights and resources, as well as those who are going to pay Hajj soon, joined the queue for the issuance of passports. According to Syed Talat Shah’s investigation, a large number of citizens applied for passports in November last year, and they were given 25 days instead of 15 days by writing manually on the computer-generated receipts. Despite more than 100 days passing, these helpless citizens have not been granted the right to obtain passports. Sources in NADRA Machine Readable Passports Project have revealed that only those fortunate individuals who have paid the urgent fee will be provided with passports. If anyone still needs a passport after 100 days, they can expedite the process by submitting applications with an urgent fee immediately. It is akin to electricity and other utility charges; people use them at high prices. You must have heard that flour, ghee, gas, and oil are expensive and scarce therefore, we buy it any cost to survive, but if you want to perform Hajj or travel abroad, a passport is a necessity. Without it, you cannot travel abroad, so now you have this obligation. The government will systematically provide financial assistance to the Government of Pakistan in the form of additional fees for processing regular passport applications. In particular, Hajj applicants are facing mental anguish because the Ministry of Hajj has set a deadline of February 26 for the submission of passports for visa and biometrics. On the other hand, the Ministry of Hajj has formally requested the Directorate of Passports to expedite passport issuance, which is no less than a lollipop for the public. While the issuance of passports is proceeding for cases submitted under Urgent and Fast Track, the deliberate delay by the Directorate of Passports in regular cases has caused serious concern among the poor and middle class of the country over the last three months. Passports are not being issued at regular fees in passport offices across the country.  Moreover, the issuance of passports at extra fees in the form of urgent and fast track is also delayed, reflecting the incompetence and slowness of the passport directorate.