Ahead of sweltering summer, a new consular services hall has been opened at the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai to make it comfortable for applicants to renew their passports and identity cards.
Earlier, an average of 600 applicants who visit the consulate on any working day, had to queue up and wait outside in the the sun in hot weather conditions before they reach the counters to apply for various consular services. With the opening of new facility, they can now wait for their number to be served in comfortable air-conditioned environment,
“Now, applicants, especially families and children will not have to wait in the sun and be served in cramped conditions in the crowded hall,” Ahmad Amjad Ali, Consul General of Pakistan in Dubai told Gulf News.
Ambassador of Pakistan Moazzam Ahmad Khan inaugurated the new facility on Wednesday and appreciated the efforts of the new consul general for taking initiative to facilitate the community. “I am very happy to open the new passport office. I am sure it will go a long way in making it more convenient for visitors and provide them customer friendly environment.”
Ambassador of Pakistan Moazzam Ahmad Khan and Consul General Ahmad Amjad Ali at the inauguration of the new consular services hall for passport at the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai.
Ashfaq Ahmed/Gulf News
Ali who joined the consulate in February this year ordered to build the facility in less than two month after he noticed the cramped conditions and heard complaints from visitors especially families about the difficulties they face durin their visit to the mission.
He said that they have built a new expanded hall and also refurbished the two existing halls with seating capacity for around 250 applicants at a time.
Number of counters including the data entry and biometric stations have also been increased to serve applicants as fast as possible. “Now an applicant will be able to complete the transaction within 15 minutes after reaching the counter,” he added.
“We now have dedicated separate halls to offer passport, identity card and the visa services,” Ali said.
The new passport services hall can accommodate up to 150 people whereas the expanded hall for National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) will have the capacity of more than 70 people and the visa hall can also accommodate around 30 applicants.