ISLAMABAD: The meeting of the Public Accounts Sub-Committee of Parliament revealed that thousands of passports had been stolen from 25 passport offices across the country.
The meeting, chaired by the committee’s convener, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, featured a presentation by the Director General of Passports, Mustafa Qazi.
Mustafa Qazi reported that a total of 32,674 passports had been confirmed as stolen from various offices over the years, particularly from Abbottabad and other locations. He assured that these stolen passports have been blocked and will not be renewed.
Additionally, Qazi indicated that foreigners who had travelled from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia using the stolen passports have been apprehended by the Interior Ministry in Saudi Arabia, which has also deported Afghan citizens.
In response to the incident, both NADRA and the passport system have undergone complete digitalisation, making forgery much more difficult.
Convener Tariq Fazal Chaudhry expressed concern regarding the situation, stating that the misuse of stolen passports poses a significant threat to national security. He also inquired about the ratio of suspicious identity cards and passports.
The PAC sub-committee has directed the DG Passport to submit a comprehensive inquiry report on the issue so that further action can be taken.
