Islamabad: Pakistan has decided to decentralise the printing and issuing of passports within two months.

Passports would now also be issued at provincial headquarters and even in districts, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said, adding that authorities concerned had been told complete the process within two months.

Malik said passports were earlier issued only from Islamabad, but the decentralisation process would help those living away from the national capital as well as overseas Pakistanis. The minister said the staff strength in 36 passport offices of Pakistan worldwide would be doubled and in future these offices would also have facility of printing passports, reported Associated Press of Pakistan. He said more passport offices were being established in Multan, Lahore and Dera Ghazi Khan while passport offices in Haripur and Chakwal would start functioning soon. Bureau Report