Senate panel approves bill on blue passports

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday approved a bill dealing with the issuance of blue passports to senators after a discussion that also focused on alleged misuse of official travel documents and asylum cases abroad.

During the meeting, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the committee that misuse of blue passports had created problems for Pakistan. He cited a case involving the son of MNA Iqbal Afridi, saying he had travelled to Europe on a blue passport, later reached Italy and sought asylum there.

"He surrendered the blue passport there, which caused embarrassment for Pakistan," Talal Chaudhry told the committee. He said such incidents harmed the country’s image internationally.

The minister said the government had made the rules for diplomatic and official passports stricter and had also brought down their number significantly. According to him, the issue comes up when Pakistan discusses visa-free arrangements or signs memorandums of understanding with other countries, as questions are raised about how many blue passports have been issued by Pakistan.

"Blue passports are often misused. Other countries become reluctant to sign MoUs with us because of such cases," he said.

Committee members seek records

Members of the committee asked for details of the total number of blue passports issued over the last 10 years. Senator Talha Mahmood called for complete records of all those who had been issued blue passports.

Senator Abdul Qadir said that around 60,000 people currently held blue passports. Talal Chaudhry, however, told the committee that the number had now been reduced considerably.

Some members of the committee argued that senators who complete at least three years in office should be eligible for blue passports. The committee chairman said parliamentarians should be facilitated in this matter.

After the discussion, the committee approved the bill related to the issuance of blue passports to senators.

The meeting reflected both support for extending the facility to senators and concern within the committee over how official passports have been used in some cases. The discussion also highlighted the government’s position that tighter controls have already been introduced and that the number of such passports has been cut down from previous levels.