Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan’s report for the year 2014-15 regarding the accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that the Pakistani mission in the UK failed to provide record of 975 passports it issued.

According to the report, which the auditor general recently placed before parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not yet produced any record relating to issuance of 975 passports and 21 missing visa stickers.

According to Para 17 of the Passport and Visa Manual, it is the responsibility of the custodian of blank passport booklets and visa stickers to keep these documents in proper lock and key. Issuance of passport booklets and visa stickers from stock register should properly be accounted for.

According to the report, as many as 21 visa stickers -from serial number VG811680 to VG811700 – at the Pakistani Consulate General, Birmingham, UK, were kept outside the record by the former consul, but their use was not recorded as reported by the new consul on December 22, 2012 at the time of taking over the charge. These were just found missing from the official record.

Similarly, the mission also failed to provide the record relating to declaration forms and passports issued between November 6, 2012 and April 2, 2013 for verification.

According to the stock register, 975 passports were issued during the period. Due to non-availability of the record, audit could not ascertain to whom these passports were issued and whether the prescribed fee was received.

The report noted that the immigration and passports director general in Islamabad should have been immediately informed for cancellation of visa stickers, as their misplacement is a serious lapse.

The report further noted that non-availability of the record relating to passports also created doubts, and added that missing of classified documents constituted “weak internal controls”. This is a very serious lapse, keeping in view the threats to the security of the country, the report added.

The matter was brought to the notice of the management of the missions after conclusion of audit, and was pointed out to the ministry in December 2015.

The Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) in its meeting, held on January 19, 2016, directed the ministry to investigate the matter.

The audit report recommended that the matter be investigated at a higher level, keeping in view its seriousness, and responsibility be fixed against officer/official involved in misplacement of visa stickers and non-maintenance of passport record.

Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that there was a departmental committee meeting in which the record of 970 passports was reconciled. This is an ongoing process, he said, adding that the remaining five would also be reconciled in due course. On missing of 21 visa stickers, the spokesman said that details/facts were being ascertained.