As promised in Election Manifesto hope Omar Sahib must have already taken up with GOI need for Eased Passport Verification & Issue
DAYA SAGAR
Governments all these years have been claiming for their having worked relentlessly (of course they have been working too) for socio economic development of the subjects of J&K and for undoing the nefarious designs of the ‘foreign’ powers & their supporters from within J&K as well.There is no doubt about the efforts made & some successes achieved, no doubt some more may be needed . One thing could be surely said that nobody should ( and no one does) totally dismiss the positive status reports being regularly placed in the public domain as regards the status of return of peace & stability in J&K particularly over last two decades.
But it has to be also admitted that there is utmost need for the civil society too for supporting the administration by working on ground ,for medicating the undue social & emotional controversies generated over the years, as also is the need for the political cadres to shed their political plans that target only vote bank game plans. Government too need to take regular reviews /steps to wipe out any bit of otherwise impressions that may be radiating from some of the existing security related government policies / orders . For which actions like prioritizing self sponsored return of Kashmiri valley migrants & reviewing the over stretched security related policies like procedures / rules/conditions related to issue & renewal of passports to persons of J&K origin could be mentioned here for sending positive messages to outside world worth that windows open to the separatist / anti India influences are shutting . It would be worthwhile mentioning there here that among the present policies that unduly reflect to outside world that J&K is ‘still seriously’ disturbed ‘state’ of India could be quoted the policy / rules regarding receiving & processing the applications for grant of new passport / of passport / for obtaining any other facility related to passport like additional pages as are applicable to the persons of J&K origin. The Pass Port Seva PPS Division , Ministry of External Affairs GoI Tatkaal Advisory says Tatkaal facility is not available for Persons of Naga origin including minors (below 18 years) & Persons of Naga origin residing outside Nagaland ; and Persons of J&K origin including minors (below 18 years).Tatkal facility ( even for renewal of passport or even obtaining additional pages ) not being there to the persons of J&K origin staying in India or abroad not being there for the persons of J&K origin even in 2025 sends very otherwise impressions to outside world as regards the civic environment / peace/ normalcy/ separatist activities that could be there inspite of the fact that the internal environment in J&K is very much of harmony where the separatist influences / environment have been otherwise pushed to the walls. Not only the existing rules send wrong signals to the outside world about the people of J&K origin additionally the procedural delays too often cause lot of inconvenience & harassment to many.
So the need is not only for extending TATKAL facility to the persons of J&K origin as is for others in India by payment of extra fee ( which should surely be extended immediately ) but need is also there to review and amend some other features as well so as to to simplify the procedures worth making the process of granting passport or passport related services like renewal as also requirements like providing additional pages ( when due to frequent travel no space for stamping etc is left but with passport still valid) faster and trouble free as the case may be to persons of J&K origin. Repeat ,so strangely the “Tatkaal’ facility is not available even for renewal of a passport even where no adverse observations are there in the records of foreign office or for even additional pages so such extent of non availability of Tatkal puts J&K people to inconvenience but also sends negative message to outside world that “J&K’ is not in peace. A widely travelling / frequent traveller of J&K origin in case requires additional pages with in the validity period of passport still not only the procedure as far issue of a new passport / renewal of passport is followed but even the tatkal facility is not available in such cases for J&K ( here too one has to apply like a new passport for which routine physical police verification is done and the passport copy that is issued is only for the remaining period in some cases ( question here is in case all process is to be followed as for new passport why not issue the new copy with full period of 10 yrs or so ). Imagine the inconvenience caused to even a common citizen other than J&K also where undue time is lost more particularly with the style of bureaucratic procedure that ‘we’ are living in case of requirements other than issue of new passport.
People could be very easily found running here and there for making enquiries about the verifications and in very very rare case the report may move from one office to another office in 1 to 2 days and in general cases people may be seen quoting that there reports have taken even a week to 10 days or even more to move from one office to another. There is no time limit mentioned for receipt of police verification report from the district police authorities after the reference is made by the Passport Seva Kendra which is not fair and there should be a limit mentioned( may be 4 weeks max in routine ) for issue of passport in case report is not received within that time . The offices / hands the reports have to move do result in more time consumption even if the the staff working there works in normal manner and there enough scope in reducing the number of hands the report exchanges before reaching PSK. Recently one my relations/ friends has told me that he submitted renewal application in a consulate Abroad around 27 Sept 2025 and has received the Passport around 11th Jan 2026.
May be it was due to such like problems the people of J&K origin have been facing that the National Conference manifesto for 2024 elections to Legislative Assembly of J&K UT on page 11…… under the caption “RESTORING NORMALCY” had said (i) Eased Passport Verification: Ensure that passport verification procedures are simplified, removing hurdles and making it easier for people to obtain passports. And it is NC lead government in UT of J&K lead by Omar Abdulla now ( Jan 2026) for last more than 13 months now but what the J&K Government had done is not known.
So Omar Government also has opportunity & moral duty to must meet the election promise by getting (i) the Tatkal facility also expended to persons of J&K origin (ii) getting the process for renewal of passport & or particularly procedure for issue of additional pages simplified (iii) to ensure that the police verification channels are minimized/ the work load on the Police / CID offices is reduced by modifications like limiting the quarry only for referring to the District Police SP and designating the Distt Police SSP as competent officer for sending the clearance to Passport Officer direct . No doubt after physical police verification the Passport Seva Kendra issues passport in a couple days by post, (iv) to allow the Passport Officer to issue without police verification additional page copy in case original is finished within validity period ,if there is no adverse entry on existing passport (v) for renewal of passport with no adverse remarks fix the time limit for verification as only 15 days max and ofcourse keeping the Tatkal facility there on fee basis with condition of post police verification. No doubt it would bring sanctity to election manifesto promises. The services would have been delivered much earlier.
Union Government has also opined that over last 10 years J&K has moved steps ahead on the path of peace & stability so Omar Sahib must impress upon GOI to get the passport process simplified for residents of J&K origin which will also undo any misconceptions about fairness of civil environment in J&K with the outside world.
(The writer is a Sr Journalist & a known analyst of J&K affairs)