Govt withdraws decision to deny passports to asylum seekers abroad

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday reversed its earlier decision to halt the issuance of passports to Pakistanis seeking asylum abroad.

The decision was made during a high-level session chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar. During the meeting, they reviewed and reversed the previous decision to suspend the issuance of Pakistani passports to asylum seekers abroad.

Last month, Pakistan’s Directorate General of Immigration and Passports announced that the government would no longer issue passports to Pakistanis seeking asylum abroad.

Read more: G-B CM seeks Rs1 billion to establish an endowment fund for varsities

During the session, Deputy Prime Minister Dar received a detailed briefing from the Secretary of Interior and the Director General of Immigration and Passports on facilitating timely passport issuance for Pakistanis living abroad. Officials assured the Deputy Prime Minister that passports for overseas Pakistanis would now be issued within 60 days.