Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered the removal of senior officials at the Garden Town Passport Office in Lahore on Wednesday [1].
The action follows persistent citizen complaints regarding systemic mismanagement at the facility. This move signals a crackdown on administrative inefficiency in critical public service hubs where delays often hinder travel and documentation for thousands of residents.
Naqvi conducted a surprise visit to the office on Aug. 19 [1]. During the inspection, the minister found long queues of citizens waiting for services and several service counters left vacant despite the crowds [1], [2]. These conditions directly contradicted the expected operational standards for the facility.
Citizens had previously complained about excessive delays and a lack of staff availability at the Garden Town location [1]. The surprise visit confirmed these reports, revealing a gap between official reporting and the actual experience of the public.
Following the discovery of these lapses, Naqvi ordered the immediate removal of the senior officials responsible for the office's management [1], [2]. The minister said that such negligence in public service delivery is unacceptable.
This incident is part of a broader effort to improve government transparency and accountability. By targeting senior leadership at the local level, the ministry aims to ensure that service counters remain staffed, and that processing times are reduced for all applicants [1].
“Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered the removal of senior officials at the Garden Town Passport Office”
The removal of senior officials following a surprise inspection suggests a shift toward performance-based accountability within Pakistan's administrative services. By bypassing standard reporting channels and observing conditions firsthand, the Interior Ministry is attempting to address the 'last mile' of service delivery, where bureaucratic mismanagement often creates bottlenecks for citizens despite high-level policy directives.
