A team of senior officers from the Federal Ombudsman (FO) secretariat on Monday conducted an inspection of the Passport Offices in Islamabad in response to the numerous complaints against passport facilities for not issusing passports in time, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.
The team, during their visit to the passport offices in Islamabad, not only assessed the complaints but also interacted with individuals present at the site.
They visited the Director-General's offices for G-8 and G-10 passport facilities to gain insights into the challenges faced by individuals seeking passport assistance.
The team discovered that some people had been struggling with the anticipation of passports for several months.
Furthermore, numerous individuals had expired visas due to the non-availability of passports in times.
The team conveyed to management that efforts should be made to expedite the procurement of necessary papers for passport making so that people could receive timely passports.
The team also assured the anticipation management of future applicants for passport support that a more organized and effective approach would be ensured.
Earlier, the Federal Ombudsman's team reached the G-10 Passport facility, where hundreds of individuals were waiting for passport document issuance, with no reasonable anticipation information available to them.
The team took steps to facilitate those awaiting passport support, including providing seating arrangements and other necessary facilities.
It was reported to the team that despite multiple attempts, some individuals were still uncertain about when they would receive travel documents. The team learned that many had applied for urgent passports several months ago but had not received any updates. The team promptly facilitated those who had applied urgently by refunding the urgent passport fee.
The team of the Federal Ombudsman will present a comprehensive report on their findings within a week.
During their visit, Federal Ombudsman Ijaz Ahmed Qureshi emphasized that the Directorate of Entry should thoroughly investigate all complaints, ensuring a definitive solution to prevent the recurrence of such issues in the future.