Pakistan(Natonal Times)- KARACHI: Although there was a notable rise in the number of Pakistanis seeking to travel abroad, 121,418 fewer passports were issued in 2024 compared to the previous year. There was also a significant increase in the number of citizens applying for e-passports in 2024. Passport Director General (DG) Mustafa Jamal Qazi told Geo.tv that 6,596,520 Pakistanis got their passports issued in 2024, while the number was 6,717,938 in 2023. In 2024, Rs47.65 billion was deposited in the national exchequer through passport fees. According to the Passport DG, 715,074 overseas Pakistanis obtained passports in 2024, whereas 5,206,234 passports were issued to citizens living in the country. A total of 252,141 passports were processed online and 257,398 e-passports were made in the year 2024. As per the data provided by the Passport DG, women ranked first in obtaining passports with 9,659,312 of them getting their passports in 2024. Meanwhile, 1,768,341 men and 523 transgender persons across the country also obtained Pakistani passports. A total of 3,056,427 new passports were processed while 2,541,170 passports were renewed in 2024. The DG said that during 2024, citizens faced delays in obtaining passports due to various reasons, but now the situation has improved with citizens obtaining passports within the given period.