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Ashraf Siddiqui
Doha
The Embassy of Pakistan is planning to relocate to a more spacious premises within two years in order to create more convenience for community members seeking consular services, Pakistan Ambassador to Qatar HE Shahzad Ahmad has said.
Speaking at a Community Open House on Thursday, the ambassador said,"Despite the limited available human resources and space, we are still trying to improve the quality of our services. Within the next two years, the new embassy premises will be ready with almost twice the size of the present space and waiting lounges. The designs of the new embassy buildings are ready and we are in the process of inviting tenders from contractors."
Responding to an observation by a community member about the availability of only one cashier window for both men and women, Ambassador Ahmad said he was already in contact with the bank authorities to make payment of consular fees more convenient.
He added that the bank managements are working on indentifying suitable branches for depositing consular fees as well as introducing online payment facilities.
Regarding Pakistan National ID Cards processing and renewals, the envoy said the working hours of the section concerned has been increased by two hours from 3pm to 5pm.
The ambassador heard various concerns from community members and offered solution to some of the issues immediately.
He also received a number of labour-related cases and directed Community Welfare Attache Hafiz Junaid to look into the matters for immediate action.
Sa'adia Gohar, passport officer at the embassy, said that the embassy provides 24 hours emergency services to Pakistan passport holders, especially those unable to travel because their passports have expired.
She said that about 150 applications for passport renewal are received daily, 75 percent of which have expired long ago.
She advised the community members to always check their passports' expiry dates and apply for renewal promptly to avoid any complications.
