ISLAMABAD: The Senate passed a blue passport bill on Monday, allowing former lawmakers to retain official passports after serving incomplete terms. A separate proposal covering spouses and dependent children was withdrawn after treasury opposition.
Senator Abdul Qadir moved both measures. The approved amendment to the Passports Act, 1974, still requires National Assembly approval and has not become law.
Under the proposed Section 3-A, former members of either House who took the oath could retain and use their free official passports. Eligibility would remain subject to prescribed terms and conditions.
That entitlement would apply whether a lawmaker served a complete term or only the remainder of another member’s tenure. Existing Passport Rules 2021 require former parliamentarians to have completed at least one full term in either House.
However, treasury members opposed a separate amendment to the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 1974. It sought to extend the facility to former lawmakers, their spouses and dependent children under 28. That proposal had cleared a Senate committee in July.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told the House that the government accepted blue passports for parliamentarians but opposed extending the privilege to families. He argued that excessive issuance could discourage other countries from offering visa-free access.
Read More: Blue Passport Bill for Ex-Lawmakers’ Children Draws Fire
Chaudhry put the number of official blue passports at 45,000, down from 75,000 after authorities cancelled around 30,000 unnecessary or inactive documents. He attributed the reduction to concerns raised by European countries and Canada.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar called for tighter controls, saying official passports are meant for government business. “Let children make their own careers; respect is not built through blue passports,” he said.
Tarar supported removing the six-year service requirement for senators, arguing that eligibility rules should treat both Houses consistently.
Separately, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Abid Sher Ali challenged the requirement for an interior ministry no-objection certificate (NOC). He described it as a breach of parliamentary privilege and announced plans to move a privilege motion.
Chaudhry said the government would soon introduce legislation to withdraw the blue-passport facility available to children of retired bureaucrats.
(With additional input from Geo News)
