33 Passport Offices Remain Operational Even On Weekdays, Says Regional Director

A total of 33 passport offices in the North Punjab region, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan are fully operational, providing passport issuance and renewal services to the citizens, even on Saturdays and Sundays, said Zainullah Mehsood, Regional Director for North Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Apr, 2024) A total of 33 passport offices in the North Punjab region, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan are fully operational, providing passport issuance and renewal services to the citizens, even on Saturdays and Sundays, said Zainullah Mehsood, Regional Director for North Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He told media persons that following the directives of Mustafa Jamal Qazi, the Director General of the Directorate of Immigration and Passport, all counters across the 33 passport offices in North Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan are operational, facilitating the renewal, issuance of new passports. Moreover, passport delivery is ongoing even during weekends, on Saturdays and Sundays.

He stated that the entry of agent mafias into passport offices is prohibited, with corresponding actions taken against their supporters. Comprehensive online monitoring of all offices is being enforced, and pending passport cases are no older than 72 hours. To ensure transparency and prevent duplicity, suspicious cases are promptly entered into the system.

Zainullah Mehsood, serving as the Regional Director for North Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, emphasized his commitment to maintaining ongoing oversight of operational matters within the zone offices.

This entails conducting regular reviews of deferred cases and data verification, all of which are carried out online every hour.

He stressed the necessity for each office to provide daily reports to the zonal office regarding passport issuance and renewal. He mentioned that officials are instructed to obtain clearance from security agencies for suspicious cases and enter them into the system to prevent the issuance of passports to questionable individuals by other offices. Upon assuming office, he instructed all branches to prioritize deferred cases, ensuring prompt attention is given to passport applications pending for more than 72 hours.

In response to a question from the media, he stated that the passport offices in North Punjab, including the Islamabad Passport Office, Executive Passport Office in Islamabad, Rawalpindi Regional Office, High Court Bar Association counter, Foreign Office counter, Kahuta Regional Office, Gujar Khan, Jhelum, OPF counter, Pind Dadan Khan, and others, are operational. He emphasized the strict hourly online monitoring of these offices, with particular attention given to pending cases, data verification, and other matters.