ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday unanimously passed the Passport Amendment Bill 2026, seeking amendments to the Passports Act, 1974, amid calls to immediately end the issuance of blue passports to the children of senior government officials. The session, chaired by Deputy Chairman Senate Syedaal Khan Nasar, saw Senator Abdul Qadir introduce the bill seeking further amendments to the Passports Act, 1974. The deputy chairman subsequently put the motion to a vote, which was unanimously approved by the House. Speaking during the debate, Senator Abdul Qadir said children of Grade 21 government officers were entitled to blue passports, while members of the National Assembly also received such passports after being elected. He argued that the same principle should apply to senators, saying either the facility should be extended to them or blue passports issued to government officials should also be withdrawn. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that in the National Assembly, a member’s term is considered to begin once they take the oath, whereas senators are not entitled to official passports until they complete their six-year term. He said the interior minister supported extending the same passport facility to senators as enjoyed by National Assembly members. Tarar also maintained that children of retired Grade 21 and 22 government officers should not be entitled to blue passports. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the government opposed issuing such passports to former parliamentarians. He added that if children of government officials were receiving blue passports without justification, the practice should also be stopped. Chaudhry said the number of blue passports directly affected Pakistan’s passport standing and negotiations with other countries over visa-free entry. “When we discuss visa-free entry with another country, they ask about our blue passports. We tell them that there are around 75,000 blue passports in the country,” he said, adding that the government had already reduced their number. Senator Abid Sher Ali objected to parliamentarians being required to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Interior Ministry for blue passports, describing the requirement as humiliating and discriminatory. “Why should I, as a senator, obtain an NOC from the Interior Ministry to get a passport?” he questioned. Senator Nasir Butt also called for the requirement to be abolished. He said thousands of blue passports were in circulation, including those held by retired officials and their children, and called for such passports to be cancelled where holders were no longer entitled to them. Senator Faisal Saleem Rahman said the deputy chairman of the Senate should be issued a diplomatic passport rather than an official one. He also highlighted parliamentarians’ concerns over the alleged NOC requirement. Responding to the criticism, Talal Chaudhry said that if passports held by former bureaucrats or their children violated the rules, lawmakers should introduce legislation and the government would support it. He maintained that parliamentarians were not required to obtain an NOC, although passport applications were subject to high-level verification under the relevant rules. Chaudhry further said the law minister was bringing legislation to withdraw blue passports from the children of former secretaries. He added that around 30,000 blue passports had already been withdrawn and none belonged to parliamentarians. Senator Abid Sher Ali, however, insisted that the interior secretary had told a Senate committee that an NOC was required. He also alleged that the director general of passports had cited instructions from the Interior Ministry when refusing to entertain certain requests. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar clarified that no parliamentarian needed an NOC for the passport facility. Senator Dilawar Khan called for an inquiry into the issuance of thousands of blue passports, saying officials responsible for granting passports to ineligible individuals should be held accountable. Following the debate, the Senate unanimously passed the Passport Amendment Bill 2026, amending the Passports Act, 1974. Meanwhile, a separate amendment bill concerning the salaries and allowances of members of parliament was withdrawn from the Senate. Clarify the bill’s main outcomeRemove repeated bill-passage details
