The Ministry of Religious Affairs has devised a policy aimed at streamlining the issuance of passports for overseas Pakistani Hajj pilgrims participating in the private Hajj scheme.
This policy comes as a welcome relief for thousands of Pakistani nationals residing abroad who faced prolonged delays in obtaining passports, hindering their ability to perform the sacred pilgrimage.
It is aimed at facilitating the passport issuance and renewal process for overseas Pakistanis. As the efforts of the Religious Affairs Ministry bear fruit, the passports will be issued soon.
Under the newly formulated policy, the clearance process for pilgrims with dual citizenship will be expedited, with authorities mandated to complete the clearance within seven days. If clearance is not granted within this timeframe, automatic clearance will be assumed, ensuring swift processing for the pilgrims.
Upon receiving clearance, the pilgrims will be issued temporary passports. Previously, Pakistani nationals with dual citizenship had to wait for months to get their passports issued.
Sources within the Ministry of Religious Affairs revealed that passport authorities had been informed of the urgency of the situation.
It was also reported that last month, passport authorities successfully processed passports for 28,000 government-sponsored Hajj pilgrims within a span of three days.
Furthermore, the sources emphasized that the non-issuance of passports on time was affecting the biometric verification process, ensuring that all pilgrims can complete the necessary procedures without undue delays.
