The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, has announced that citizens will be given free passports.
He made this announcement during the launch of a new computerized system for arms licenses in Quetta. He explained that the provincial government has worked out an arrangement with the passport office to make this process easier for everyone.
Chief Minister Bugti said, “The government will pay for the passports for the citizens.” He also mentioned that the government will cover the Rs 16,000 fee for residents of Chaman to get free digital passports using a new one-document system.
He explained that technology is helping the government to manage things better. He added that the new digital arms license system will soon be available throughout Balochistan.
Earlier, there were complaints about delays in issuing Pakistani passports in the National Assembly. In response to a notice from Aga Rafiullah of the Pakistan People’s Party, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar said the government is working to speed up the passport issuance process.
He pointed out that the daily demand for passports has grown to 44,000, but only 25,000 to 26,000 passports are being processed each day in Pakistan. Tarar added, “With the software update, we expect to issue 60,000 passports each day by September.”
