The Garden Town Passport Office in Lahore is facing a significant surge in applicants during the night shift, exacerbated by the absence of gazetted officers, while the operations have been left at the behest of data entry operators.
This increase in foot traffic has highlighted several operational issues, including the arbitrary issuance of tokens and the recent controversies surrounding the data entry staff.
It has been revealed that Data Entry Operator Aamir Hassan, a Grade 15 junior official, has begun interviewing passport applicants. Hassan has claimed to be in charge of the office, an assertion that has caused confusion among both staff and applicants.
The situation was further complicated when the gazetted officer was reported to be unavailable in the Garden Town Passport Office. This has led to an increased workload for the existing staff and a longer wait time for citizens, many of whom have been waiting for an extended period to submit their applications.
The night shift, initially implemented to manage the overflow of daytime applicants, is now experiencing a similar rush. Applicants report a chaotic environment where arbitrary tokens are issued, leading to frustration and prolonged wait times.
The surge in applicants, coupled with the absence of the gazetted officer, has created a bottleneck in the passport issuance process.
