Pakistan’s Senate has approved a proposed amendment allowing former parliamentarians to retain and use official blue passports even if they leave office before completing their full parliamentary terms. However, a separate bill seeking to extend the facility to dependent children of former lawmakers under the age of 28 was withdrawn following opposition from government members.
Both bills were introduced by Senator Abdul Qadir during the Senate session.
The Senate passed an amendment to the Passports Act, 1974, proposing the insertion of a new Section 3-A. The provision states that former members of the National Assembly and Senate who took the oath of office, whether for a complete term or the remaining tenure of another member, would be entitled to retain and use their complimentary official blue passports under prescribed terms and conditions.
The proposed amendment also covers lawmakers who leave office before completing the National Assembly’s five-year term or the Senate’s six-year term.
Under the existing Passport Rules 2021, former parliamentarians are eligible for blue passports only if they have served at least one complete term in either house of Parliament.
The statement of objectives accompanying the approved bill says the amendment aims to ensure equal treatment with other senior state officials and maintain consistency in the privileges granted to individuals who have served the country at the highest level.
The bill still requires approval from the National Assembly before it can become law.
The Senate withdrew a separate bill proposing amendments to the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 1974, which would have extended complimentary blue passports to former lawmakers’ spouses and dependent children below the age of 28.
The proposal had been approved by the relevant Senate committee in July, drawing criticism from the government and prompting debate over the scope of privileges available to former public office holders.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry had previously assured lawmakers that safeguards would be introduced to ensure blue passports were used exclusively for official purposes abroad and, in most cases, issued for a limited period.
Speaking in the Senate, Chaudhry said the number of official blue passports issued in Pakistan had been reduced from 75,000 to 45,000 following concerns raised by European countries and Canada. He added that approximately 30,000 unnecessary or inactive passports had been cancelled.
He stressed that protecting the credibility of Pakistan’s passports was essential to the country’s international standing. Pakistan also maintains agreements with other countries concerning the use of blue and red passports, he noted.
Chaudhry said the government had no objection to parliamentarians receiving blue passports but opposed extending the privilege to their family members. He warned that issuing too many official passports could make other countries reluctant to provide visa-free access to Pakistani citizens.
The minister also indicated that legislation could soon be introduced to withdraw blue passport privileges from the children of retired bureaucrats.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar argued that blue passports should be strictly regulated because they are intended for official government business.
He maintained that young people should establish their own careers rather than rely on privileges associated with their parents’ positions.
Tarar also called for reconsidering the requirement that senators complete their full six-year terms to qualify for official passports. He said the rules should be consistent for members of both houses of Parliament.
Currently, National Assembly members become eligible for official passports after taking the oath, while senators must complete their six-year tenure. Under the existing arrangement, a senator who resigns shortly before completing the term could lose eligibility.
PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali also criticised the requirement for parliamentarians to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Interior Ministry before receiving blue passports.
Questioning the requirement, Sher Ali said it had not existed previously and described it as a breach of parliamentary privilege. He announced plans to submit a privilege motion over the matter.
The Senate session also featured a heated exchange between opposition and treasury members over the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas condemned the decision, describing it as an attack on the public mandate.
Referring to remarks by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi about the need to overhaul Pakistan’s governance system, Abbas argued that the country’s political leadership had failed to address persistent governance problems.
Naqvi had said at the Pakistan Economic Summit in July that the existing governance system had collapsed and was fundamentally unable to resolve the country’s challenges.
Abbas described the developments in KP as oppression and urged the government not to push citizens to the point of desperation. He also referred to the separation of East Pakistan, warning that political grievances and the denial of electoral mandates could have serious consequences.
The opposition leader additionally called for a parliamentary briefing on Yemen, recalling that Parliament had passed a resolution in 2015 against Pakistan becoming involved in the conflict.
He said he had written to the prime minister and foreign minister, urging them to pursue mediation rather than draw Pakistan into another war. Abbas warned that several countries were already suffering severe economic consequences from regional conflicts.
Responding to the criticism, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been imposed through a presidential order under Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution.
He added that the measures had subsequently been ratified by both the Senate and the National Assembly.
According to the minister, the decisions were taken in the interest of peace, stability and the national interest.
