Mirpur Passport Office Staff caught red handed for corruption in issuing of new passports and demanding extra money to process passport application.
The incident came into light, after an overseas woman hailing from Bhimber District visited Passport Office in Mirpur to get passport for her daughter. But her application of rejected and she was refereed to submit application in Bhimber Passport Office.
Passport Office Staff Caught Red Handed Taking Bribe form Applicants in Mirpur
The woman claimed that last year she got passport for her elder daughter from Mirpur Office. Later one of Relative of overseas woman, named Mr Saeed visited Passport Office Mirpur to get information regarding this issue.
But unfortunately he reached office by 1 pm when it was closed and only few staff members and guards were present. Upon inquiring them, he was asked to pay Extra illegal 2000/ Rs to them to process his passport application.
Mr. Saeed filmed this conversation with Staff and guard at Passport Office, Mirpur and went to News and Media office in Mirpur and bring this corruption in their knowledge.
Later when media team arrive, In-charge Passport Office, Mirpur, Raja Muhammad Sarwar, took action against Guard Muhammad Khalil, Clerk named Arsalan, and another man and suspended them immediately.
But usually senior officers do not recommend major punishments of dismissal or suspension because of shortage of staff.
This is issue is not only in Mirpur but all over Country, the bribe at passport offices usually start from the guard at the entrance to the final interviewer in the passport office. It does not end there, you have to again deal with similar intermediaries when you go to pick up the passport.
Security guards and people sitting outside offices to fill passport and challan forms against Rs2,000 to Rs4,000 additional cost for ordinary and urgent passports. If you pay Rs2,000 for each applicant, you may get a token slip by bypassing the main queue and entering in a special queue, due share to officials for favour.
Not to mention overseas Pakistanis whose passports expire, as they run several legal risks in their host countries that temporary solutions do not address.