Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday formally inaugurated a state-of-the-art monitoring system for passport applications, printing and overall performance at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports in Islamabad. Interior minister visited the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, where he launched the advanced system aimed at ensuring real-time oversight of passport operations across Pakistan and abroad.

A 24/7 monitoring room and call centre have also been made operational, while the emergency travel document system has been fully digitised on the minister’s instructions. During the visit, Mohsin Naqvi was briefed on the Secure Hybrid Intelligence for Knowledge-Based Response Analytics (SHIKRA) system. He appreciated the performance of the Director General of Immigration and Passports and his team for introducing a modern, technology-driven monitoring mechanism. 

Speaking on the occasion, the interior minister said the Pakistan passport system had now been aligned with those of the world’s best-performing countries. He said the new system would enable real-time monitoring of passport applications and deliveries both within Pakistan and overseas. Mohsin Naqvi said every stage, from the submission of an application to the delivery of the passport, could now be closely monitored, adding that the government’s objective was to ensure fast, secure and globally standardised services for citizens. 

He said the introduction of the advanced monitoring system would further improve the performance of the passport department, noting that the security features of Pakistani passports had been upgraded in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. The interior minister added that the installation of modern automatic German machines had enhanced the department’s operational capacity, while the fully automated passport printing process had eliminated human intervention altogether. 

During his visit, Mohsin Naqvi also inspected the e-monitoring room, call centre, forensic laboratory and the modern production unit in the Directorate. Officials briefed the minister that a digitally integrated dashboard would allow daily operations and staff performance to be monitored and evaluated, while the new system would also automatically identify overcrowding at passport offices. They added that under the network management system, backlogs and machinery status would also be continuously monitored. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)