The Passport Department has announced a significant improvement in the processing time of passports, with the backlog of fast-track passports reduced to zero.

As per the latest development, the department confirmed that over 30,000 fast-track passports have been issued, along with 70,000 urgent category passports.

Director General Mustafa Jamal Qazi stated that the department is operating in extra shifts to hasten the processing of passports.

For the urgent category, the backlog is expected to be cleared by tomorrow, allowing applicants to receive their passports quickly.

Additionally, 17,500 passports applied for through foreign missions and 17,000 online applications have also been processed.

Last week, it was reported that the passport printing delay issue is likely to be resolved for the applicants as 10 state-of-the-art passport printing machines have arrived in Pakistan, with installations underway.

According to ARY News, all the new printing machines are likely to get operational from next week which will double the printing capacity.

The passport department receives around 50,000 applications, however, the department at full capacity only manages to print 22,000 passports daily.

In order to overcome this demand and supply gap, the government decided to import the most advanced desktop printing machines.