Instead of confirming or denying reports of alleged irregularities in the document verification system, the Foreign Office has issued a clarification saying that the fee goes directly into a government account, with no individual receiving cash.

Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said during the weekly press briefing that 17,000 to 18,000 documents are verified daily in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Apostille system has reduced the time and cost of citizens for attestation of documents.

He said that the document verification fee is paid online, no person receives the money. Attested documents are also issued digitally.

The spokesperson of the Foreign Office said that a person who has been sitting abroad for the past one year can also get his documents digitally verified.

He further said that due to digital integration with HEC and other institutions, the process of document verification has become easier.