ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Office has stopped the apostille verification after the online system of verifying apostille documents became inactive.
Thousand of Pakistanis going abroad for employment, higher education, and medical treatment are in jeopardy due to a lack of facility for apostille verification of documents.
The Foreign Office said that the web link of apostille confirmation for 120 countries is also down. The closure of the apostille verification system led trouble to for hundreds of Pakistanis, who came to the federal capital for the verification of their documents.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Interior are unaware of the matter, sources said, adding that hundreds of Pakistanis are worried due to the suspension of apostille verification.
Sources with the Foreign Office said that apostille appointments have been closed after July 5 in MOFA Islamabad and the service will be restored soon.
While talking to the Daily Ausaf, one of the affectees said that the date of his visa expiry and return ticket has been reached but still, I have not received an appointment for apostille.
Sources revealed to the Daily Ausaf that the agents are asking Rs1.5 lakh to Rs2 lakh per person for apostille verification and are working with the connivance of the IT department of the Foreign Office.
Moreover, sources said that the agents had booked a large number of appointments after the opening of appointments for apostille confirmation. Given this situation, MoFA closed the appointments after July 5.
The process is being finalized and soon apostille attestation will be possible without an appointment and attestation centers will be opened in major cities to reduce the pressure of attestation on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, FO officials said.