Daily Times

The names of 23 Pakistanis allegedly involved in the London attack on former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa have been added to the Passport Control List (PCL), according to passport authorities.

Among those listed are Shayan Ali, who gained prominence during the London protests, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Malaika Bukhari.

Other individuals added to the list include Sadia Faheem, Faheem Gulzar, Maheen Faisal, Sadra Tariq, Habba Tariq, Waqas Chohan, Mohsin Haider, Zameer Akram, Sardar Taimoor, Mohammad Pervez Ali, Rukhsana Kausar, Sheikh Mohammad Jameel, Mehran Habib, Zaheer Ahmad, Rehman Anwar, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, Khadija Kashif, Mohammad Naveed Afzal, Shehzad Qureshi, Suleman Ali Shah, and Bilal Anwar.

Sources report that the names of these 23 individuals were added to the PCL in connection with the case. In addition to these individuals, 153 other names have been included in the list. However, passports for the 23 key suspects have been officially revoked.

Authorities have also reportedly sent a letter to British officials requesting the extradition of these individuals. If brought to Pakistan, they will be arrested and interrogated.

Passport fee hike rumours quashed

Pakistan’s Directorate of Passport and Immigration has denied recent media reports claiming an increase in passport fees, clarifying that the fees were last adjusted on March 7.

A spokesperson from the directorate stated that the latest rumours about a new fee hike are baseless.

They confirmed the rates set in March, specifying that the five-year normal category fee for a 36-page passport remains Rs4,500, with Rs7,500 for urgent service and Rs12,500 for fast-track processing.

For the 72-page passport, the five-year fees are set at Rs8,200 for normal service, Rs13,500 for urgent, and PKR 18,500 for fast-track. In case of a lost passport, the first re-issue fee for a 36-page passport is PKR 9,000 in the normal category, with double or triple fees applied for second and third instances of loss, respectively.

The spokesperson urged citizens to disregard recent fee hike claims, confirming that passport fees are structured based on page count and category, covering separate rates for 36-page, 72-page, and 100-page passports.

Previous media reports, which have been denied by Pakistan’s Directorate of Passport and Immigration stated that federal government of Pakistan has unveiled a new fee structure for passports, including e-passports, machine-readable passports (MRPs), and replacement passports for those lost or stolen.