ISLAMABAD:
The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill seeking to amend the Passports Act 1974, calling for an end to the automatic issuance of blue passports to children of government officials, amid calls from lawmakers to investigate the cancellation of around 30,000 such passports.
The Senate approved the Passport Amendment Bill 2026, moved by Senator Abdul Qadir, after an extended debate over the eligibility criteria for blue passports and the treatment of parliamentarians by government departments.
The Directorate General of Immigration & Passports issues the blue passport in Pakistan as an Official (Gratis) Passport to designated government functionaries, state representatives, and authorized individuals for official state travel.
During the debate on the passport legislation, Abdul Qadir said children of Grade-21 government officers were eligible for blue passports, while members of the National Assembly also received the facility after being elected.
“We want the same principle to apply to senators. Either the blue passports issued to government employees should also be discontinued or senators should be given the same facility,” he said.
Senator Abid Sher Ali questioned the restrictions allegedly imposed on parliamentarians by officials of the Ministry of Interior and the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.
He said the interior secretary had told a Senate committee that a no-objection certificate (NOC) was required, while also maintaining that he was answerable to the minister rather than parliamentarians.
Ali said he had personally approached the passport authorities but was told that the directorate had received instructions from the Interior Ministry not to entertain certain requests. He questioned whether a senator needed an NOC from a government department to exercise his official privileges.
Responding to the concerns, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said public representatives were in parliament to serve the people and that no one should be subjected to unnecessary restrictions.
Senator Dilawar Khan called for an inquiry into the issuance of approximately 30,000 blue passports, saying the authorities responsible for issuing them should be held accountable if any had been issued to ineligible individuals.
He urged the government to investigate the period during which the passports were issued and take action against those found responsible for irregularities.
Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry told the Senate that the issuance of blue passports could affect Pakistan’s global passport ranking and its efforts to secure visa-free travel arrangements with other countries.
He said the government has reduced the number of blue passports by 30, 000from about 75,000 to 45,000and that none of the cancelled passports belonged to political representatives.
Chaudhry said Pakistan had been seeking visa-free travel and other travel facilities with European, Gulf and other countries over the past 18 to 24 months. The number of blue passport holders also came under discussion during talks with Canada and other countries and could create difficulties, he added.
