The Senate on Monday passed a bill that would let former lawmakers keep their official blue passports even if they never completed a full parliamentary term, inserting a new Section 3-A into the Passports Act, 1974. In the very same sitting, the House was told that the government has cancelled around 30,000 blue passports, cutting the total from 75,000 to 45,000 after European countries and Canada raised concerns. The bill, moved by Senator Abdul Qadir, still needs the National Assembly’s approval before it can become law.
What the Senate actually passed
The approved amendment says a retired parliamentarian who has taken the oath as a member of the National Assembly or the Senate, whether for a full term or for the remainder of another member’s tenure, would be entitled to retain and use the gratis official passport after leaving office, on terms and conditions to be prescribed. It covers lawmakers who leave before completing five years as an MNA or six years as a senator.
The bill removes a long-standing disparity between the two Houses. National Assembly members become eligible for blue passports after taking the oath, while senators must complete their full six-year term to qualify. Under the existing Passport Rules 2021, former parliamentarians qualify for a blue passport only after serving at least one full term in either House.
Abdul Qadir argued MNAs get the facility after a year in office while senators miss out after three to five years of service, whereas bureaucrats are granted such passports too. The bill’s statement of objects and reasons says the amendment “brings parity with the privileges available to other high-ranking officials and ensures uniform treatment of persons who have served the state at the highest level.”
The other side of the ledger: 30,000 passports cancelled
In the same sitting, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry disclosed that the number of official blue passports in circulation has fallen from 75,000 to 45,000, because around 30,000 unnecessary or inactive passports were cancelled after European countries and Canada raised concerns.
Chaudhry warned that issuing too many blue passports could make other countries reluctant to keep offering visa-free access to Pakistani holders, telling the House that the “security and dignity of passport is a matter of the dignity of people of Pakistan.” The same minister said the government would soon bring legislation to withdraw the blue-passport facility available to children of retired bureaucrats. Some lawmakers, meanwhile, have demanded a probe into the 30,000 cancellations themselves.
The contradiction is the story: the Senate voted to widen the pool of blue-passport holders just as the government is shrinking it under foreign pressure, while the minister in charge warns that excess issuance threatens the visa-free access that makes the document valuable.
What got dropped, and who objected
A second bill, which would have extended gratis blue passports to an ex-member’s spouse and dependent children under 28, was withdrawn after treasury members opposed it. The Senate committee had approved the proposal in July, drawing public criticism over extending an official travel privilege to family members.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar called for tighter regulation, stressing that official passports are meant for government business. “Let children make their own careers; respect is not built through blue passports,” he told the House. Tarar also backed removing the six-year service requirement for senators so the rules are consistent across both Houses.
PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali protested a new requirement for parliamentarians to obtain a no-objection certificate from the interior ministry before blue passports are issued, calling it a breach of privilege. “Are we dacoits or terrorists that we need NOCs?” he asked, announcing plans to move a privilege motion.
What a blue passport actually buys
Blue passports are issued by the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports as Official (Gratis) Passports to designated constitutional office-holders, government and judicial officials, senior bureaucrats and their eligible dependents, for official state travel. According to the report cited in the Senate debate, holders get visa-free access to 55 countries, including 22 in Europe.
The same directorate is currently rolling out the country’s e-passport system; the e-passport deadline was pushed to October 23 with revised fees now in force. For more on how Pakistan’s travel documents are changing, see our technology news from Pakistan.
What happens next
Nothing changes yet. The amendment must clear the National Assembly before it becomes law, and no timeline for that vote has been announced. The government’s promised legislation on children of retired bureaucrats is still to be tabled, and the demand for a probe into the 30,000 cancellations is now on the record. Until the NA votes, partial-term ex-lawmakers keep their current status. Follow the latest national news from Pakistan for updates as the bill moves to the lower house.
