The crisis at Pakistani diplomatic missions brought on by the shortage of passport booklets will be under control by next week, a spokesman at the Pakistan Embassy said.
The embassy has received two shipments of new passport booklets since last week to help clear the backlog of about 3,000 applications for new passports in Abu Dhabi, the spokesman said.
"We have received a fresh and sufficient shipment of passport books from Pakistan (yesterday), in addition to a similar despatch received last week," the spokesman said.
A huge number of passports have been issued to applicants, he said. Others who have also received passports include those deemed to be emergency cases.
"Almost all the applicants who needed passports for emergencies have been addressed, and now the embassy has started clearing the backlog," he said.
Referring to applicants queries for passports, the official said no incidents have occurred at the embassy "since people are already aware of the situation and have been very patient."
The Consulate General in Dubai is facing a similar situation with a backlog of a similar number of applicants looking for new passports.
"The situation is under control over the last few days as we received some passport booklets and continued to issue emergency passports," Consul General in Dubai Amanullah Larik told Gulf News.
He said the consulate issues 20 to 30 urgent passports daily. "We are also issuing normal passports to those who have applied some time ago and whose dates of delivery are due," he said, adding the situation will return to normal next week.
Under usual circumstances, the consulate issues 200 to 250 passports daily, while about 200 passports are issued daily at its embassy in Abu Dhabi.
"We have received a letter from the Directorate General of Passports in Pakistan ensuring that there will be a normal supply of booklets. We are sure to finish the backlog within a week or so once the booklet supply is normal next week," he said.
Passport applicants are taking about a month for delivery. Applicants, however, will receive passports earlier if the booklet supply returns to normal, he said.
Ambassador Syed Qaiser Hussain is in touch with the authorities in Pakistan to get further shipments to help the situation, he said. "He is pursuing the case with the authorities to help receive sufficient stocks of passport books."
Both the embassy and the consulate have experienced a shortage of passport booklets for almost a month. The printing of new passports stopped more than three months ago when the shipment of printing paper was sent to another country and could not be found quickly.
The Pakistan Security Printing Corporation, which is responsible for the printing of the passport booklets, traced the shipment. The paper shipment was immediately sent to Pakistan.
Gulf News
