An angry people, including machine-readable passport-seekers on Saturday attacked building of Sialkot Regional Passport Office on congested Khadim Ali Road here with bricks, iron rods, and hockey sticks in protest against inordinate delay in issuance of passports and corruption by regional passport officials.
A large number of passport-seekers staged a demonstration in front of Sialkot Regional Passport Office in protest against alleged corruption of two officials.
Protestors chanted slogans against alleged corruption at the Sialkot Regional Passport Office, and submitted their written complaints to senior officials at the Regional Passport Office. When the officials did not pay attention to complaints of the protesting mob, they became infuriated and attacked the building with bricks, iron rods, and hockey sticks and broke the main gate, outer wall, window grills, some furniture, and window panes.
Some passport officials saved their lives by lying down and locking themselves into the offices.
Later, a huge contingent of police was called in, which controlled the situation.
Earlier, talking to newsmen, protesting people said some corrupt officials of Sialkot regional passport office have made the issuance of national passports to the applicant as very hard due to their alleged corruption.
They charged that these corrupt officials had fixed the bribe rates for issuing the passports to the applicants.
They said those who greased palms of these corrupt officials get passports in their desired times and those who do not give them bribe are forced to visit this office repeatedly for several weeks.
Sialkot passport officials also misbehaved with the Sialkot-based print and electronic media men, who reached the passport office for the coverage of this incident.
They also snatched the video cameras from local electronic media men.