Pakistan’s Passport Offices Struggle with Severe Ink Shortage

The ongoing operational crisis in Pakistan’s Passport and Immigration offices has taken a turn for the worse with a critical ink shortage, adding to the existing problem of lamination paper scarcity. This new development has halted the issuance of both normal and urgent passports, causing significant inconvenience to the public.

Sources within the department told a leading news platform that the ink supply has been completely exhausted, making it impossible for the offices to print any passports. This issue, coupled with the previous lamination paper shortage, threatens to bring passport issuance to a complete standstill if immediate action is not taken.

Insiders attribute the ongoing chaos to gross mismanagement and incompetence at the upper levels of the department. They also indicated that the underlying cause of these supply issues is linked to the plans to transform the Directorate of Passport and Immigration into an autonomous authority. This transformation, aimed at providing the director general with full control over the budget and decision-making processes, appears to have diverted attention and resources away from essential operational needs.

Instead of addressing the critical shortages of ink and lamination paper, the Directorate reportedly spent around Rs. 60 million on office renovations. This misallocation of funds has exacerbated the crisis, leaving the offices ill-equipped to serve the public effectively.

The director general’s push to elevate the Directorate into an authority is seen as an effort to consolidate power and gain more control over the department’s budget, akin to the role of Principal Accounting Officer in other ministries. However, this shift in focus has led to significant operational neglect, with dire consequences for passport issuance.

The ramifications of these shortages are widespread. The passport office has already failed to deliver passports on time, both for routine and urgent requests. This has particularly affected overseas Pakistanis, who have expressed their frustration and dissatisfaction with the delays.

During a recent visit to London, the Interior Minister was confronted by complaints from the Pakistani diaspora regarding the persistent delays in receiving their passports. In response, the minister directed the passport office to expedite its services for overseas Pakistanis. However, without addressing the fundamental supply issues, these directives are unlikely to bring about any meaningful improvement.

The ink shortage, combined with the lamination paper issue, highlights a severe lapse in planning and resource management within the Directorate. Immediate intervention is required to replenish the ink supplies and ensure that the necessary materials are available to resume normal operations.

In the meantime, the passport and immigration offices are struggling to cope with the demand, leaving many Pakistanis in a state of uncertainty regarding their travel plans. The situation calls for urgent action from higher authorities to rectify the mismanagement and restore the office’s ability to function effectively.