ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the federal government plans to launch the new e-Passport Service on April 28, 2021.
Talking to media in Islamabad on Thursday, the interior minister said that an SMS Service is also being launched to inform the people six months prior to the expiry of their passports.
The minister said that the Pakistanis aspiring to go to the Middle East for employment will be issued passport for 10 years at Rs 3,000.
Sheikh Rashid further said that home delivery of passports is being started in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The interior minister said that the process of visa issuance to the Chinese nationals working on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects will be made further easy.
Sheikh Rashid further said that he has directed to shorten the Exit Control List (ECL) and the blacklist as there are 100,000 people on the blacklist. He said that only those elements involved in criminal and anti-state activities should be kept in the list.
Furthermore, he said that he has given an ultimatum of one week to the people selling smuggled petrol and diesel. He said that if they do not stop the malpractice, the ministry will take action against them.
The minister also expressed commitment to improve the financial position of the Directorate of Immigration and Passport.
