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Pak expatriates urged to go for MRPs

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Consul-General of Pakistan in Dubai, Abdul Hamid said, “Though the process of shifting from manual passports to MRPs is going on smoothly, we still need to educate people that soon they will only be travelling on MRPs, and manual booklets will be issued for emergency cases only.”

Manual copies are being issued by the consulate in cases of emergencies, in cases where the traveller does not possess a national identity card for overseas Pakistanis, and also in cases where separate passports have not been issued for dependants i.e. children.

Meanwhile, Pakistanis planning to proceed for summer break, which starts from next month, have alleged that each year, whenever summer break approaches, the consulate is faced with a shortage of booklets.

“This is the time for several people to travel, but since the MRPs have been launched, the consulate always says that there is a shortage of booklets,” says Mohammed Farasat, who travels frequently on business trips. “Normally I do not plan my international tours so I need to be prepared at all times. In such a situation, I do not have the time to apply for an MRP because I’m told that it takes up to two weeks or even more to be ready, so I depend on a manual passport,” explains Farasat.

On an average, staff at the consulate handles between 200 and 250 MRP applications. The total number of Pakistanis living in Dubai and Northern Emirates is an estimated 550,000.

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