Naqvi visits passport office at Karachi's Awami Markaz, says facility to be expanded

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday visited the passport office at Karachi’s Awami Markaz and said the facility would be “expanded for citizens’ convenience”, according to his ministry.

A statement by the Ministry of Interior said Naqvi met citizens who were at the centre to seek passports. He asked them about the time it took between the issuance of tokens and their turn at the counter.

“Citizens appreciated the passport issuance system and expressed satisfaction,” the ministry said. According to the statement, they also told Naqvi that their work was completed within a few minutes.

The citizens also told Naqvi that their work was completed within a few minutes.

“No difficulty arose in getting the passport made, nor did they have to wait,” the interior ministry claimed, citing the applicants.

In June, officials at Awami Markaz passport office were suspended after a foreign national was issued a Pakistani passport there.

Naqvi also visited Jinnah International Airport, where the immigration system malfunctioned as he reviewed the process at the counters, the interior ministry said in a separate statement issued in the morning.

The minister contacted relevant officials and directed them to immediately resolve the issue, stressing that arrangements for alternative measures should be ensured in case of such incidents.

“The immigration process must not be halted under any circumstances,” Naqvi was quoted as saying.

At the airport, the minister also met passengers who were departing for foreign countries and inquired about the immigration process.

He ordered strict action against passengers with fake documents, adding that those with incomplete and unverified documents would not be allowed to travel under any circumstances.

Naqvi had also visited Karachi in late July, when he met with President Asif Ali Zardari. The month prior, he paid a surprise visit to a mega centre of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in the Safoora Goth area.

The interior minister’s remarks earlier this month ignited a fresh debate within political circles after he said the country’s governance system had “collapsed” and proposed to create new provinces. Later, he said the incumbent government would complete its constitutional term.

Nisar Ahmed Khuhro of the PPP, which rules Sindh, had demanded Naqvi’s resignation and accused him of undermining the Constitution by “endorsing a hybrid system”.