Govt launches free passport scheme

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The government has launched a program to provide free passports to 5,000 local citizens of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area of Chaman.

The initiative aims to assist poor and labouring individuals impacted by the implementation of the one-document regime at the Pak-Afghan border, which requires valid travel documentation for cross-border movement.

The project was formally inaugurated by Quetta Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat, FC Chaman Commandant Brig Shakeel Ahmed, and Deputy Commissioner Habib Ahmad Bangalzai. Tribal elders and traders also participated in the ceremony and distributed free passports to local citizens.

Under this project, the government is paying the passport fee for 5,000 citizens. Brig Shakeel highlighted that the country’s policy on all its borders was the same. “When the one-document regime was implemented on the Chaman border, some people misunderstood that it increased unemployment,” he exclaimed, adding that the government wants all the people to have passports, but those who can’t afford to get one would be provided for free.

He also mentioned that the poor among those who received free passports would also be issued free visas. The government has also distributed Rs900 million among the poor and needy people of Chaman through Benazir Income Support Programme. The Chaman master plan will also be activated soon, providing employment to people.

Chaman border is an international border, and some problems have arisen here from Afghanistan because of which the government decided to implement passports.

The implementation of the one-document regime has significantly increased the demand for passports in Chaman. However, local residents have called on the government to create employment opportunities at the border to reduce their reliance on cross-border movement for work.