NA committee seeks breakdown of 49,000 blue passports
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior has asked how many of the 49,000 blue passports in circulation are held by parliamentarians and how many by bureaucrats. The Director General of Passports said the number was cut from 75,000 to meet visa-free travel requirements.
- The committee wants a split of 49,000 blue passports between parliamentarians and bureaucrats.
- Blue passports were reduced from 75,000 to 49,000, the Director General of Passports said.
- A Senate-passed bill proposes lifetime blue passports for parliamentarians.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior has sought detailed information on how blue passports are issued in Pakistan. It asked officials to say how many of the 49,000 blue passports currently in circulation have gone to parliamentarians and how many to bureaucrats.
During the committee meeting, the Director General of Passports said the number of blue passports had been reduced from 75,000 to 49,000. He said the cut was made to meet requirements for visa-free travel categories with various countries.
The Director General also said that if members of the National Assembly keep blue passports while holding office, the existing rules would have to apply.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry asked the committee for permission to look for a solution on blue passports. According to Daily Jang, he said: "مجھے اجازت دیں کہ بلیو پاسپورٹ پر حل نکال کر لاؤں", meaning he asked to be allowed to bring back a solution.
The discussion comes after the Senate unanimously approved a bill proposing lifetime blue passports for senators and members of parliament. Senator Abdul Qadir presented the Passport Act amendment, which would allow retired parliamentarians who took oath as members of the National Assembly or Senate to keep and use blue passports, whether or not they completed their terms.
The proposed legislation would also extend blue passports to the children of parliamentarians. Daily Jang reported that Senator Abdul Qadir argued that children of Grade 22 government officers receive blue passports, so the children of parliamentarians should as well.
Senator Nasir Butt took a different view, arguing that the blue passports of retired officials, including secretaries and judges, should be cancelled.
The reports do not say when the committee expects to receive the requested breakdown.
Why it matters
Blue passports are official travel documents, and the way they are issued affects public trust in passport services. The committee's request and the Senate bill bear on who in government and parliament can hold them.
