Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday reviewed the progress on the installation of e-gates at airports across the country to facilitate passengers, his office said.
E-gates are automated electronic border control systems that use biometric verification such as facial recognition or fingerprints to speed up passenger clearance at airports.
They allow eligible travelers to pass through immigration checks without manual processing by an officer.
Naqvi chaired a special meeting to develop a joint strategy between the interior and defense ministries to facilitate the public at airports, according to the interior ministry.
“Progress on the installation of e-gates was … reviewed,” the ministry said in a statement.
“It was also decided to install the latest machinery at airports to improve the screening system.”
It added that the meeting also approved the establishment of joint counters and a single-point screening system to save time.
“The Interior Minister stressed providing faster clearance and easier travel facilities for passengers,” it said.
The statement also quoted Pakistan’s defense secretary as saying at the meeting that modern equipment was being imported to protect aircraft at airports from bird strikes and related accidents.
In April last year, the Pakistan Airports Authority signed an agreement with M2P Consulting, a foreign company, to initiate the planning, design and installation of e-gates at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports.