Interior minister suspends passport office staff over early closure in Gujranwala

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid a surprise visit to the Passport Office in Gujranwala on Thursday and expressed anger

GUJRANWALA: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid a surprise visit to the Passport Office in Gujranwala on Thursday and expressed anger after finding the office locked nearly half an hour before its official closing time.

According to officials, the minister reached the Passport Office at around 4pm and found the office closed and its gates locked, despite the official closing time being 4:30pm.
Expressing displeasure, Naqvi questioned why the staff had left the office before the scheduled time. He found only one official present at the premises and asked him several questions about the absence of the remaining staff members and the premature closure of the office.

The interior minister said government offices could not be closed before official working hours ended, particularly when citizens continued to require public services.
Taking immediate notice of the situation, Naqvi ordered the suspension of the entire staff found responsible for leaving the office early. He also directed the authorities to deploy new staff at the Gujranwala Passport Office to ensure uninterrupted services for the public.

Before leaving, the minister ordered a review of the office’s working arrangements and stressed that negligence and violations of official duty would not be tolerated.
The surprise visit was part of the interior minister’s ongoing monitoring of public service delivery and the functioning of departments under the Ministry of Interior.
Officials said further action could follow after a detailed review of the matter.