ISLAMABAD: In a significant move aimed at enhancing national security, the caretaker government has taken decisive steps to permanently block access to Pakistani passports by Afghans and other foreigners.
According to sources, the federal cabinet, through circulation of a summary of the Ministry of Interior, has approved the declaration of five sites/assets of the Director General (DG), Immigration & Passports (IMPASS) as “Critical Infrastructure” under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
They said that the primary objective behind this decision is to prevent unauthorized access to Pakistani passports by Afghans and foreigners, as well as to curb the theft of sensitive data. They said the move is a proactive measure to address security concerns and ensure the integrity of the country’s immigration and passport control.
They said the approved declaration includes the categorization of six sections of IMPASS as highly sensitive, granting access only to designated personnel with proper security clearance. The sections encompass the Production Hall, E-Passport printing machine, database recovery site, booklet store, and other critical assets. The caretaker government by taking such much-needed measures has permanently blocked the illegal entry of Afghans and other foreigners to the soil of Pakistan, said sources.
As per the sources, the Ministry of Interior submitted a summary to the federal cabinet, seeking the declaration of specific sites and assets of the DG, IMPASS, as “Critical Infrastructure” under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. Following the circulation of the summary, the cabinet has now granted its approval for this designation.
With the approved declaration, stringent security measures will be implemented, restricting access to the Production Hall exclusively to designated staff. Additionally, the passport applicant’s data, as well as the data of IMPASS officials, the booklet store, E-Passport printing machine, database recovery site, and booklet store, have all been categorized as “Critical Infrastructure” under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
According to Chapter 1 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, the government holds the authority to designate any private or government infrastructure as critical infrastructure, a power exercised in this case to safeguard sensitive information and assets managed by the DG, IMPASS.
The Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has seen and is pleased to approve submission of the summary through circulation for approval for securing the crucial sites related to immigration and passports, said sources. The Minister for Interior has seen and authorized the submission of the summary to the cabinet, they added.
Earlier on September 21, 2023, the Director General, Immigration & Passports, in a letter to the Section Officer (P&C), Ministry of Interior has requested to declare certain sites/assets including Production Hall, Data Ware Center, Inventory Section, E-Passport Facility, Disaster Recover (DR) site Lahore, Inventory store, RPO, Saddar Karachi as “critical infrastructure” under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
It is pertinent to mention that the Director General, Immigration & Passports is an organization that manages sensitive documents such as passports, visa, citizenship and hosts data of passport applicants and the sensitive nature of work and data requires that certain sites/assets may be declared as “critical infrastructure” under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The cabinet’s approval to designate specific sites as “Critical Infrastructure” also underscores the importance of securing critical assets and data in line with the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
Besides, this decision of the caretaker federal cabinet is expected to fortify national security by preventing illegal entry and safeguarding sensitive information, including passport, visa, and citizenship data.
