What happened
According to Dawn, the Senate of Pakistan passed a bill allowing former members of the National Assembly and the Senate to retain official blue passports, even if they did not complete their full terms. Moved by Senator Abdul Qadir, the approved legislation amends the Passports Act, 1974, by inserting Section 3-A to grant passport rights to retired lawmakers who have taken their oath, regardless of their tenure length. Currently, Passport Rules 2021 require ex-parliamentarians to complete at least one full term to remain eligible. The bill still requires approval from the National Assembly to become law. Meanwhile, a second bill proposing to grant official blue passports to the dependent children under 28 of former lawmakers was withdrawn following opposition from treasury members.
Key facts
- Official blue passports grant visa-free access to 55 countries, including 22 European nations, to key government, judicial, and constitutional officials and senior bureaucrats.
- Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry stated that active blue passports were reduced from 75,000 to 45,000 after Canada and European nations expressed reservations, leading to the cancellation of 30,000 unnecessary documents.
- Chaudhry noted that a bill will soon be introduced to remove blue passport access for the children of retired bureaucrats.
- Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated blue passports should be strictly regulated for official business and called for equal passport eligibility rules for members of the Senate and the National Assembly.
- PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali criticized interior ministry no-objection certificate (NOC) requirements for issuing passports to parliamentarians, calling it a privilege breach and announcing plans for a privilege motion.
- The Senate session also included debates between the opposition and treasury over governor's rule and emergency imposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution.
Why it matters
According to the bill's statement of objects, the legislation aims to create parity between former parliamentarians and other high-ranking officials who serve the state at the highest level. At the same time, discussions in the Senate emphasized government efforts to protect the international credibility of Pakistan's official travel documents, as over-issuing blue passports has previously caused foreign nations to hesitate in offering visa-free entry.
Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 20, 2026 · Photo by Ben Kelsey on Unsplash