Pakistan has launched reforms to the passport system after Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi assigned the newly appointed Director General of Passport and Immigration, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, the task of overhauling the department.
According to reports, Naqvi has directed authorities to digitise the passport and immigration system across the country. He has also asked the new DG to convert the entire setup into a fully paperless operation.
Naqvi said public facilitation must remain the department’s top priority. He stressed that the reforms should make passport and immigration services faster, easier, and more accessible for citizens.
The push for digitisation signals a broader effort to modernise public services and reduce delays in the existing system.
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Earlier, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports revised its office hours to improve convenience for the public. Under the updated schedule, all field formations and passport offices will now operate from Monday to Friday as per routine.
The change restores the regular working pattern after an earlier move had reduced the working week to four days.
The four-day working week followed the austerity measures introduced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. At that time, authorities had allowed 50 per cent of staff to work from home due to rising regional tensions in the Middle East and energy-saving efforts.
However, officials have now reversed that decision. The government says it wants to ensure that citizens do not face difficulties when applying for or collecting passports.
