After backlash over proposed law, state minister outlines more stringent measures for blue passport issuance

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>ISLAMABAD: After <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2014879">criticism</a> on a bill seeking to allow the issuance of blue passports to former parliamentarians’ children, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry has assured that measures would be taken to ensure that the travel document is used for “only official duties” abroad and issued for a limited time in most cases.</p> <p>The bill, seeking the issuance of blue passports to dependent children under the age of 28 of ex-members of parliament, was <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2014537">approved</a> by a Senate panel on July 10. If the Members of Parliament Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2026 becomes law, the legislation would place former members of parliament on par with retired Grade-22 government officers, whose dependent children already enjoy the same entitlement.</p> <p>An official press statement released by the Senate Secretariat earlier this month noted that Chaudhry had “also agreed on the passing of the bill”.</p> <p>However, he later claimed he had opposed the bill during the July 10 proceedings of the Senate committee. He said he had informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that the issue should first be discussed with the federal cabinet and other stakeholders. “Despite my reservations, they proceeded to pass the bill,” he had said.</p> <p>He has now told <em>Dawn</em> that each application for a blue passport would be processed only after the interior ministry’s approval here onwards.</p> <p>“Each case will be referred to the interior secretary, and if need be, to the interior minister,” he said.</p> <p>He also acknowledged that Pakistan had a “large number of blue passport holders”, which he said was a “major impediment” in the signing of visa abolition agreements with other countries.</p> <p>“Our focus is on having agreements for visa-free entry with as many countries as possible,” he said.</p> <p>According to Chaudhry, the number of blue passports issued in the country was brought down from around 70,000 to less than 50,000 in the recent past. “It will now be further reduced by 15-20 per cent,” he said.</p> <p>He said discussions on an agreement for visa exemption for blue passport holders are at an “advanced stage” with Saudi Arabia and negotiations with some other countries, including Italy, are also under way.</p> <p>Speaking specifically about the bill seeking the issuance of blue passports for ex-parliamentarians’ children, he said the fate of the legislation would be decided by political parties.</p> <p>“A decision on supporting or opposing the bill is to be taken by the political leadership,” he said. He, however, added that the bill was contrary to the government’s intent to reduce the number of blue passports.</p> <p>He also suggested that if the purpose of the legislation was to bring former parliamentarians on par with retired Grade-22 government officers, then a “better course will be an amendment to take away the facility available to the retired bureaucrats”.</p> <p>When PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Senate, Barrister Ali Zafar, was approached for his views on the matter, he said the blue passport was not a privilege that should be given to those other than individuals who genuinely required it for official state functions.</p> <p>“It is meant to facilitate official diplomatic responsibilities, not to serve as a status symbol or a lifelong entitlement,” he stressed.</p> <p>“I opposed the proposal in the Senate to extend such passports to the children of members of parliament because it is inconsistent with the purpose for which diplomatic passports exist. Although the matter was referred to the relevant committee, where we were not members and therefore could not pursue our objections, we intend to oppose any such proposal again if it is brought before the Senate for approval,” he added.</p> <p>Zafar noted that “public office should be about serving the people, not creating or expanding privileges for public representatives and their families”.</p> <h2><a id="who-gets-blue-passport" href="#who-gets-blue-passport" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Who gets blue passport?</h2> <p>Official blue passports are issued to key constitutional, government and judicial office holders, senior bureaucrats and their eligible dependents, allowing them visa-free entry to 55 countries.</p> <p>Through a notification issued on August 9, 2023, all serving and retired civil servants in BPS-22, including officers of Senate and National Assembly Secretariats and armed forces officers of equivalent rank, and their spouses, parents and dependent children up to 28 years of age, were included in the list of those eligible to get the passport.</p> <p>Others on the list included the president and prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, governor and chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, members of the Senate, National Assembly, provincial assemblies, AJK and GB Legislative Assemblies, speakers of legislatures, their spouses, parents and dependent children up to 28 years of age.</p> <p>Judges of the Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, high courts, AJK and GB courts, the auditor general, chief election commissioner and ECP members, wafaqi mohtasib, federal tax ombudsman, chairmen and members of the Federal Service Public Commission, Federal Services Tribunal, Council of Islamic Ideology and the National Accountability Bureau chairman are also eligible.</p> <p>Moreover, federal secretaries, additional secretaries, joint secretaries, chief secretaries, BPS-21 officers, retired chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Committee and all three services chiefs, officers proceeding abroad on official duty, training, deputation, or posting with the United Nations and other organisations, advisers to the PM and provincial governments having the status of a minister, directors general and directors of Immigration and Passports, former governors, former AJK presidents and GB governors, retired judges and contractual officers of BPS-20 and above on official visits are also on the list.</p> <p>Official passports on the payment of fee are issued to the governor and deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, members of the Competition Commission of Pakistan and Indus River System Authority, heads of autonomous bodies of grade BPS-20 and above, civil servants of grade BPS-17 to 21 and military officers on training/courses extending beyond nine months, as well as their spouses and children, PTV and Radio Pakistan staff covering the PM’s or president’s visits abroad, and National Database and Registration Authority employees posted at Pakistani missions.</p> <h2><a id="visa-free-access-to-55-countries" href="#visa-free-access-to-55-countries" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Visa-free access to 55 countries</h2> <p>Blue passport holders get visa-free access to 55 countries, including 22 European countries, according to an updated list available with <em>Dawn</em>.</p> <p>Out of the 22 European countries, 14 are Schengen states: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania.</p> <p>Among other important countries, visa-free access has also been granted for Russia, Cyprus, Belarus, China including Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia’s neighbors Kuwait and Bahrain, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal.</p> <p>According to a notification issued by the interior ministry on March 3, visa exemption agreements for blue passport holders aim to “strengthen bilateral diplomatic relations, facilitate official and diplomatic engagements and promote ease of travel for government functionaries”.</p> <p>The exemption is primarily provided for short-term official duties, diplomatic missions or multilateral engagements. The period of stay and eligible passport categories vary for each bilateral agreement.</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.