Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday accorded approval for establishment of 73 district passport offices across the country to facilitate people. Approval to this effect was given at a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. The meeting discussed, safe city project, establishment of new passport offices within the country and abroad and provision of facilities regarding new passport, computerised national identity cards (CNICs) and renewal of arms licenses in the country.
The meeting was informed that since the establishment of Pakistan, total 95 passport offices had been working while after the setting up of 73 new passport offices at district level, no district would be without passport offices. Chaudhry Nisar directed the authorities concerned that the new passport offices should be completed within 15 months, which would cost over Rs 600 million.
The meeting was informed that during next six months, the government would formulate new online passport system for overseas Pakistanis as a result the online passport system would be implemented completely. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also directed the authorities concerned that for the overseas Pakistanis the availability of passports, POC and CNICs should be made easier and in the shortest possible time.
He also directed the authorities concerned to increase in the number of passport offices abroad, besides ensuring installation of Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) at all centres by December 31 this year, to facilitate the overseas in provision of their passports well in time. The Interior Minister also gave approval for establishment of 15 new executive centres across the country. He directed NADRA and Passport Directorate to jointly work for the establishment of executive centres to facilitate the people in getting their passports and CNICs by equipping them with latest technology.
He said that by the year January 2016 the executive centres would be established in the four big cities - Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi - while all other centres would be completed by September 2016. "At these executive centres people would get all facilities for getting their passports across the country," he said. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also directed authorities concerned that KPOC, NICOP and issuance of visa related work should be computerised by March 2016, so that people could get these facilities in the shortest possible time.
Regarding the renewal of arms licenses the meeting was informed that since 1973, the Ministry of Interior had issued 425,261 licenses out of which 352,843 licenses were issued through manual mode, while process of their renewal through computerisation was in progress.
The meeting was informed that so far NADRA has received 171,033 arms licenses for renewal while remaining owners did not approach for renewal of their licenses. The Interior Minister approved that no renewal of license would be made after December 31, and the licenses would be treated as cancelled. Regarding the safe city project, the meeting was informed that under the project so far 1500 security cameras have been installed. The minister directed that the process of completion of the safe city project to be completed by December this year at all cost. After completion and implementation of the project, Islamabad would become one of the developed cities in the world with "Live Video surveillance" to ensure security of the capital city. He meeting was informed that the completion of the project would not only help check terrorism activities but also help in overcoming crimes in the capital city.