Passport offices across Pakistan are adopting new schedules for the winter season, as announced by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI&P). In Islamabad, the office will now be open from 08:30 AM to 04:30 PM on weekdays, with a half-hour lunch and prayer break from 01:00 PM to 01:30 PM.
Regional passport offices, executive passport offices, and service counters will process passport applications and distribute passports from 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM from Monday to Thursday, while on Fridays, the hours will be from 09:00 AM to 12:30 PM.
However, a pressing issue affecting these offices is the shortage of lamination paper, which has led to a backlog of 700,000 unprinted passports. The delay in receiving a lamination paper order has disrupted passport issuance for over a week. The DGI&P has stated that the paper is expected to arrive soon, and they plan to work on weekends to expedite passport printing and delivery.
This news, changes in office timings for winter have been introduced by the DGI&P in Islamabad and across Pakistan. Simultaneously, the passport offices face a significant challenge due to the shortage of lamination paper, causing delays in passport issuance. To address this, the DGI&P will be working diligently to clear the backlog and ensure that travel documents are delivered on time.