On Monday, the Senate unanimously approved the Passport Amendment Bill 2026, removing the automatic distribution of blue passports to the children of government employees. This legislation updates the Passports Act 1974.
Senator Abdul Qadir introduced the legislation, and the chamber endorsed it following a lengthy discussion regarding blue passport criteria and how state departments treat lawmakers. Official (Gratis) Passports, known as blue passports, are provided by the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports to specific government officials, state representatives, and approved persons for official journeys.
Qadir stated that children of Grade-21 officers qualify for blue passports, and members of the National Assembly obtain this privilege following their election. He requested equal rules for senators, stating that either government employee passports must stop or senators must be granted the privilege.
Senator Abid Sher Ali raised concerns about limits reportedly placed on lawmakers by the Ministry of Interior and the passport directorate. He stated that the interior secretary informed a Senate committee that a no-objection certificate was mandatory, while asserting he answered to the minister rather than lawmakers. Ali mentioned that passport officials told him instructions came from the Interior Ministry to ignore specific requests.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that public representatives sit in parliament to serve citizens and ought not to encounter needless limits.
Senator Dilawar Khan requested an investigation regarding the distribution of roughly 30,000 blue passports. He stated that guilty parties should face consequences if any documents went to unqualified individuals, and pressed the administration to review issuance dates and penalize those responsible for flaws.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry informed the Senate that blue passport distribution might impact Pakistan international passport standing and work toward gaining visa-free travel. He stated that the administration reduced blue passports by 30,000, moving from roughly 75,000 down to 45,000, and noted that zero cancelled documents belonged to political representatives.
Chaudhry stated that Pakistan pursued visa-free and alternative travel options with European, Gulf, and other nations across the preceding 18 to 24 months. He noted that the quantity of blue passport owners also arose during discussions with Canada and other nations, potentially causing complications.
