Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken decisive action against corruption within the passport office Garden Town Lahore, suspending both the director and assistant director.

He has also directed a stern action against the culprits and to issue charge sheet against them soon.

Interior minister conducted a visit to the passport office on Monday, where he encountered evidence of bribery, delays and the influence of agent mafias in passport processing on complaints from citizens.

During his visit, citizens presented proof of payments to agent mafias for expediting passport applications, lamenting that corruption was rampant throughout the office, from security personnel to administrative staff.

When questioned, passport office officials failed to provide satisfactory explanations, leading Naqvi to express his frustration and blame the administration for the corruption.

Asserting the government’s responsibility to facilitate citizens and address their grievances, Naqvi emphasized the need to tackle technical issues and corruption in passport issuance.

He assured citizens that while resolving these issues might take time, passports would eventually be issued efficiently, citing the suspension of incompetent office holders as a step towards reform.

Issuance of driving licences for higher education students

Interior minister announced plans to streamline the process of obtaining driving licenses for college and university students by enabling them to acquire licenses with the assistance of their teachers, eliminating the need for office visits. 

Naqvi pledged to provide at-home services for individuals aged 70 or older seeking driving licenses.

In his commitment to improving urban infrastructure, Naqvi vowed to take disciplinary action against those failing to provide adequate parking facilities outside buildings. He also emphasized the importance of implementing signal-free traffic systems to alleviate congestion.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi underscored his determination to combat drug trafficking and remove encroachments from Islamabad.

 Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) head Sahibzada Hamid Raza advises the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to once again resign from the assemblies. 

In a statement on social media site ‘X’, he said the PTI leadership needed to resign from the assemblies and take to the street to get justice. 

Sahibzada Hamid Raza said the party members would quit assemblies if the PTI founder could not get justice. “I will be the first person to resign from the National Assembly for the PTI founder,” he added. 

It may be noted that the PTI took out a rally – “release PTI founder march” – from Karachi to Sukkur under the leadership of Haleem Adil Sheikh and Shoaib Shaheen.

 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says Pak-Saudi economic ties have entered a new era with bilateral trade volume poised for significant increase due to steps taken in this regard.
He was talking to Saudi Minister for Commerce Majid al Kasabi who called on him in Riyadh on Monday, on the sidelines of World Economic Forum meeting.
The prime minister said the Special Investment Facilitation Council of Pakistan was fully active in promoting foreign investment and facilitating investors.
On the occasion, the Saudi minister said Pakistan was Saudi Arabia’s priority for investment and trade as per the directives of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Muhammad bin Salman.
He said targets were being set to increase bilateral economic and trade relations during the next one to one and a half years.
The Saudi minister said a delegation of Saudi business community will visit Pakistan soon.
Acknowledging the role of Pakistanis in the development and prosperity of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Minister emphasized inculcating the sentiments of Saudi-Pak friendship among the youth and new generation of both countries.