The Islamabad passport office is currently grappling with a backlog of 600,000 unprinted passports. This backlog has arisen due to the unavailability of lamination paper, despite assurances from the interior ministry that it would be imported.
As a result, both urgent and normal passport printing has come to a standstill. Urgent passports, typically processed within a week, have been delayed for two months due to this paper shortage.
This situation has posed significant challenges for individuals planning to undertake Umrah, as well as those seeking to travel abroad for work or study. The interior ministry had previously pledged to commence passport printing on the past Monday and urged the passport director general to resolve the issue promptly.
As per media reports, purchase of lamination paper has been completed, but its arrival in Pakistan is still pending. Once the paper arrives, passport printing is expected to resume within 24 hours. It is anticipated that the passport office will receive the lamination paper within the next 48 hours.