Pakistan has taken a notable step toward administrative modernization and inclusivity by announcing that the name of the mother will now be printed alongside the father’s name on new passports. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, under the Ministry of Interior, confirmed that printing of the updated passport booklets has already begun following official approval. The decision marks a significant shift in policy, aimed at improving identity recognition standards and aligning Pakistan’s travel documents with modern global practices.

Traditionally, Pakistani passports have carried only the father’s name as the primary parental identifier. This structure, inherited from earlier administrative norms of the region, often created complications for individuals whose legal or personal circumstances required recognition of the mother as a guardian or primary parent. The absence of the mother’s name was especially an issue in cases of widowed households, single mothers, adopted children, or legal guardianship situations in which the father’s details were unavailable or irrelevant. With this new update, the government intends to close these gaps and eliminate these long-standing difficulties in identity verification.

Officials explained that the upgrade of parental information is part of a broader effort to bring Pakistani passports in line with international documentation standards. Many countries around the world already recognize both parents within their official identity systems. By incorporating the mother’s name, Pakistan is signaling progress toward gender-inclusive representation and more comprehensive identity accuracy.