ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate has passed a bill allowing former members of the National Assembly and Senate to retain their official blue passports even if they leave office before completing a full parliamentary term.
The proposed amendment to the Passports Act, 1974, seeks to bring uniformity to the rules governing former lawmakers’ eligibility for official passports. However, the bill must still be approved by the National Assembly before it can become law.
A separate proposal to extend the blue-passport facility to former parliamentarians’ spouses and dependent children below the age of 28 was withdrawn after opposition from treasury members.
The approved bill, moved by Senator Abdul Qadir, proposes inserting a new Section 3-A into the Passports Act to allow former parliamentarians who have taken the oath of office to retain and use their gratis official passports after leaving Parliament, regardless of whether they served a full term or only the remainder of another member’s tenure.
Under the existing rules, National Assembly members become eligible for blue passports after taking the oath, while senators must complete their six-year term to qualify. The proposed amendment would remove this disparity.
The existing Passport Rules, 2021, provide for former parliamentarians to retain official passports if they have served at least one full term in either House.
The bill’s statement of objects and reasons says the amendment would bring parity with privileges available to other senior officials and ensure uniform treatment of individuals who have served the state at the highest level.
Proposal to extend privilege to families withdrawn
The Senate withdrew a separate bill proposing blue passports for former lawmakers’ spouses and dependent children under 28 after treasury members opposed the measure.
The proposed amendment to Section 12 of the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 1974, sought to extend the facility to an ex-member, their spouse and dependent children below the age of 28.
The proposal had been approved by the relevant Senate committee in July, prompting criticism over the extension of an official travel privilege to family members.
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Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry subsequently said the government would ensure that official passports were used only for official duties abroad and that, in most cases, they would be issued for limited periods.
Addressing the Senate on Monday, Chaudhry said the number of official blue passports issued in Pakistan had declined from 75,000 to 45,000 following concerns raised by European countries and Canada. He said around 30,000 unnecessary or inactive passports had been cancelled.
“The security and dignity of the passport is a matter of the dignity of the people of Pakistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan had agreements with other countries concerning blue and red passports.
Chaudhry said the government had no objection to parliamentarians receiving blue passports but opposed extending the facility to their families, warning that excessive issuance of official passports could affect other countries’ willingness to offer visa-free access.
He also announced that the government would soon introduce legislation to withdraw the blue-passport facility available to the children of retired bureaucrats.
Law minister calls for tighter controls
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar called for stricter regulation of official passports, emphasising that they were intended primarily for government business. “Let children make their own careers; respect is not built through blue passports,” he said.
Tarar also supported removing the six-year service requirement for senators to qualify for official passports, arguing that the rules should be consistent for members of both Houses.
Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali criticised the requirement for parliamentarians to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the interior ministry before being issued blue passports.
He said the condition had not previously applied and described it as a breach of parliamentary privilege. Announcing plans to move a privilege motion, he questioned why elected representatives were required to obtain such clearance. The blue-passport amendment will now be referred to the National Assembly for consideration.
