Overview
- The Senate Standing Committee on Interior, which met Wednesday, approved a bill granting official blue passports to current and former senators for life.
- Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the committee that misuse had forced tighter issuance rules, citing an MNA’s son who traveled on a blue passport and then sought asylum in Italy.
- The Interior Ministry supported lifetime access for legislators but opposed extending the perk to lawmakers’ children after reports of abuse.
- Senators demanded full issuance records as Abdul Qadir cited about 60,000 blue passports in circulation with many held by bureaucrats, judges, and influential businessmen.
- Blue passports are official travel documents for government business that some countries treat more leniently, and officials warned that misuse can hinder talks on visa-free entry and other agreements.