ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ongoing passport printing crisis has escalated, with ink supplies running low after an earlier shortage of laminating paper.
The backlog of passport applications continues to grow instead of decreasing, exacerbating delays for citizens.
According to sources, the country has run out of ink needed to print passports, further hampering the production process. The fresh batch of ink is expected to arrive in Islamabad on July 28. However, the delay in clearing the shipment from customs raised concerns.
The Director General (DG) of Passports has written a letter to the customs authorities requesting expedited clearance of the ink shipment. The letter points out that due to lack of funds and non-payment of duties and taxes, there have been significant delays in the clearance of shipments.
The letter states that it is difficult to maintain the productivity of passports because shipments are not cleared on time.
The DG’s letter also ensures that payments to the customs department will be cleared within 15 days of clearance of the shipment. The letter emphasizes the urgency of priority clearance of the upcoming ink shipment to ease the backlog and resume normal passport printing operations.
In the letter, the DG said that the customs authorities should clear the ink consignment immediately on a deferred payment basis.
The situation remains critical as delays in clearing the ink shipment further threaten to increase waiting times for passport applicants who are already facing significant delays.
