Following the unusual delay in processing and issuance of passports at regional and district offices across the country, passport seekers are being forced to pay between Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000 to 'agents' in addition to usual government fees for obtaining their travel documents.
Interestingly enough, all regional and district offices sport banners on the directives of the Directorate Immigration and Passports, warning applicants not to engage 'agents' for processing their travel documents. During a brief visit, this correspondent witnessed a large number of 'agents' at the Karachi passport office carrying out their shady business with impunity, cashing in on the crisis and travellers' helplessness.
These 'agents' are offering 'hassle free' processing of passport applications and 'timely delivery' of travel documents against cash. The delivery time for an ordinary passport (Rs 3,000) is 15 days while it takes a week for urgent passport (Rs 5,000), but one of the agents (S) offered to deliver passport in two days against an 'additional payment' of Rs 6,000.
He said that the crisis had proved to be a boon for 'agents' and officers at the passport office alike, adding that even applicants for ordinary passports were left with no option but to engage these 'agents' for collecting their passports in time in return for a hefty sum of money.
He said the passport office 'agents' are charging just "10 percent commission, while the rest of the money is distributed among officers to expedite the application process". He said: "If you want to get a passport within two days, you have to pay Rs 6,000 to agents, of which agents get only Rs 500 while the remainder of the amount is given to officers."
Another agent (J) said the timely delivery of travel documents during the current shortage of passport booklets has been made "almost impossible for ordinary applicants", adding that officers at passport office behaved in an aggressive and rude manner, forcing applicants to engage the services of 'agents' for the purpose.
In response to a question, he said: "Media reports cannot deter the pervasiveness of corruption...there is no hope for good in Pakistan ...everything is about money." These 'agents', who wield considerable influence inside the passport office, are even seen directing officers at various counters forcing them to call their clients out-of-turn, who get VIP treatment in processing their applications. Officials said that the passport office was at present delivering passports against applications submitted in September.
They said the officers also engaged select agents for hunting clients, especially fresh passport seekers. They said this select group of 'agents' enjoyed the support of officers because of which they operated without the fear of any consequence.
The officials wondered why the directorate was unable to dispose of passport backlog, despite payment of Rs 700 million to the Printing Corporation of Pakistan (PCP). Nearly two weeks ago, Interior Minister Rehman Malik had ordered the Directorate to dispose of the backlog "within seven days". The Directorate, despite having a capacity to issue 15,000 passports daily, was not accelerating the process, handling just 5,000 passports daily.
Sources also wondered why the crisis was even allowed to persist and why the directorate failed to clear its PCP dues, despite earning more than Rs 14 billion annually, which was 90 percent more than total expenditure incurred by the department. Stressing the need for a transparent inquiry into the matter, officials urged the authorities concerned to ascertain facts behind the persistence of this crisis. Despite several attempts by this correspondents, Deputy Director Zulfiqar Ali Talpur was unavailable for comments.