AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan to Get Passport, NADRA, and Public Services Under One Roof

Living in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) often means traveling long distances and spending days visiting different government offices just to handle simple paperwork. Whether you need a passport renewal, a new identity card, or document attestations, dealing with separate state departments has traditionally been time-consuming and frustrating.

That hassle is about to change. The Federal Government of Pakistan has officially approved the rollout of Pakistan Asaan Khidmat Centers (PAKC) across AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. Modeled after international one-stop public service facilities, these centers will allow residents to access over 60 different government services—including NADRA, Passports, and Excise—under a single roof.

What Is the Pakistan Asaan Khidmat Center (PAKC)?

Inspired by Azerbaijan’s highly successful "ASAN Service" model, the Pakistan Asaan Khidmat Center is a modern citizen facilitation hub. Instead of making people run between separate municipal and federal offices, PAKC brings representative counters from various government bodies together into one building.

The first pilot facility opened in Sector G-9, Islamabad. Following its immense success and strong citizen feedback, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed federal authorities to expand these one-stop hubs to AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and major provincial cities.

Essential Services Offered Under One Roof:

• NADRA Services: Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC), National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), Family Registration Certificates (FRC), and child registration.

• Immigration & Passports: Machine Readable Passport (MRP) issuance, renewals, and official tracking.

• Vital Statistics & Civil Registration: Birth certificates, death certificates, marriage registration, and domicile certificates.

• Foreign Attestation: Document attestation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

• Licensing & Taxation: Driving licenses, vehicle registrations, property tax payments, and utility connection applications.
  
  

Tendering and Operational Plans for AJK & GB

During a high-level review meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Establishment Division Senator Ahad Cheema, officials directed the Chief Secretaries of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan to launch the official tendering process immediately.

Key Decisions Made in the High-Level Meeting:

1. Federal Funding Support: The Federal Government will fully finance the initial setup and infrastructure development of the new service centers across both regions.

2. Utilizing Existing Government Space: To speed up deployment and reduce costs, authorities are assessing central post offices and well-located government buildings to host these centers.

3. No Extra Charges for Citizens: Minister Ahad Cheema emphasized that the initiative is built purely for public facilitation, explicitly directing that operational costs will not be passed on to citizens as additional fees.

4. Revenue-Sharing Mechanism: Participating institutions like NADRA and the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports will share operating expenses to maintain utilities and facility management, given that the government provides the premises.
   
   

Public-Private Partnership Models Being Explored

To ensure long-term sustainability and keep citizen facilitation smooth, the government is reviewing three operational models for expanding Asaan Khidmat Centers into other cities:

• Government-Operated Model: The center is managed entirely by government staff using state resources.

• Hybrid Partnership: The government builds and maintains ownership of the facility, while a private entity handles day-to-day operations.

• Licensed Private Model: A licensed private firm arranges the premises and manages daily operations under strict government oversight.
  
  

A feasibility study is underway to determine the best operational strategy before submitting final recommendations to the Prime Minister.

Why This Expansion Matters for Citizens

For residents in mountainous and far-flung areas of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, traveling to major district headquarters for basic verification or passport renewals often means missing work and paying high transportation fees.

Establishing regional Asaan Khidmat Centers will:

• Eliminate the need to visit multiple separate government offices.

• Cut down processing delays and long queues.

• Ensure transparent service delivery without middle-man exploitation.

• Bring state-of-the-art digital infrastructure directly to local communities.
  
  

Stay tuned to Aagahi Hub for more updates on public service developments, government policies, and digital governance news across Pakistan.