Pakistan is exploring locally developed microchip technology to strengthen the security of its electronic passports and better protect citizens’ personal information, following discussions between the country’s passport authorities and researchers from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), reported on 1 November 2026.
What happened?
A delegation from NUST, led by Project Director Hammad M. Cheema, visited the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports headquarters and met Director General Muhammad Ali Randhawa. The delegation briefed the passport authorities on the university’s ongoing research into indigenous microchip manufacturing, and both sides discussed how locally developed technology could support passport security and the country’s wider cybersecurity systems.
Key details
- The talks focused on indigenous microchip research and its possible use in securing passport information and databases.
- The two sides discussed technical knowledge sharing, joint research projects and institutional cooperation.
- They also discussed signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to give future cooperation a formal framework.
- No final agreement or implementation schedule was announced, and the cooperation remains at the research and discussion stage.
- Pakistan introduced its e-passport facility in 2022. Its contactless chip stores personal information, biometric details, a unique identification number and a digital signature, and the system follows International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
- The latest discussions are about developing microchip technology locally, not about introducing electronic passports for the first time.
What it means for people in Pakistan
For passport holders, there is no immediate change: existing passports remain valid, and no new passport design, rollout date or change to the application process has been announced. If the research eventually leads to practical technology, it could mean stronger protection for personal data held in travel documents and greater domestic expertise in a field used across identity documents, payment cards and telecom equipment. For now, the benefit is a longer-term one, depending on technical progress, security testing and manufacturing capability.
Source: https://gadgets.com.pk/pakistan-explores-local-microchip-technology-for-e-passport-security
