• Ishaq Dar chairs session to review ban on passports for asylum seekers.
• Govt mulls important matters related to welfare of overseas Pakistanis.
• DG Passports assures printing, issuance issues to be resolved by Sept.

After imposing restrictions on the issuance of travel documents to asylum seekers abroad for over a month, the federal government has lifted the ban on handing over passports to overseas Pakistanis seeking refuge in foreign countries.

The decision was taken in a high-level session chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Monday. They reviewed the previous decision to suspend the issuance of Pakistani passports to asylum seekers abroad.

The session, which was attended by secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs and interior, senior officers and others, also mulled over important matters related to the welfare of overseas nationals, a declaration read.

A circular regarding the restrictions was issued on June 5, 2024, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant authorities.

According to the letter, the step was taken in "national interest under national security and international commitment".

Furthermore, Dar also received a briefing from concerned officials over the smooth and timely issuance of travel documents to nationals residing in foreign countries.

In today's session, the federal government decided to issue passports to overseas Pakistanis within 60 days.

The ban on the issuance of passports to asylum seekers had been imposed by the Passport and Immigration Directorate which was notified via a letter last month, The News reported.

It said that Pakistanis who have applied for asylum abroad or who have already received asylum abroad, would not be issued passports, the publication said.

Pakistani nationals preferentially seek asylum in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Norway.

However, these countries do not share data with the Pakistani government, which blocks direct access for the latter's immigration authorities to track visa statuses.

As a result, the federal government decided in June to block the issuance of passports to these individuals, citing "national interests".

'Passport-related issues to be resolved by September'

In another development related to the passport issuance, Director-General (DG) Passports Mustafa Jamal Qazi said that his department would overcome all issues linked to the issuance process by September this year.

He was briefing the National Assembly's (NA) Standing Committee on Interior today to address queries regarding a delay in the printing and issuance of passports.

Qazi told the NA body that the delay in the printing process was witnessed due to non-functional machinery, however, the higher authorities gave the approval to procure relevant machinery for e-passports.

Subsequently, six printers will also be acquired by his department for the printing of passports. He further said that additional counters have been set up at the passport offices.

"Our passport system was 20 years old and 13 out of 20 old printers were functional. We had also faced an issue of lamination papers due to the [US] dollar rates which is now resolved."

He assured the committee that September would be the month in which the department would resolve all issues related to the printing and issuance of the passports.