The Muzaffarabad passport office has been brought to Islamabad temporarily, Interior Ministry official said here on Monday. The October 8 earthquake had demolished many buildings and houses in AJK and other areas, it also led to collapse of passport office in Muzaffarabad due to which costly machinery and other equipment was being damaged, the official said.

The ministry decided to shift the passport office to Islamabad, the official said, adding that qualified candidates of Poonch, Rawalakot and other surrounding areas, who had applied for issuance of passport should contact Islamabad office for further details.

The applicants must bring their National ID cards, the official said. The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) is compiling data of quake victims. Those who had lost their National Identity Cards must immediately contact the nearest NADRA office to get duplicate of their ID cards, he added.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2005