ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday passed a bill that sought to allow former lawmakers to have blue passports even if they had not served a full term in the National Assembly (NA) or Senate.
In the same sitting, the House rejected a bill seeking to allow the issuance of blue passports to dependent children under the age of 28 of ex-members of Parliament.
Official blue passports are issued to key constitutional, government and judicial office holders, senior bureaucrats and their eligible dependents, allowing them visa-free entry to 55 countries, including 22 European countries.
The bills pertaining to the blue passport were moved by Senator Abdul Qadir today.
Of them, the House passed the amendment inserting a new Section 3-A in the Passports Act, 1974, which states that “a retired parliamentarian who has taken oath as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) or the Senate, whether for a full term or for the remainder of the term of another member, shall, on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed, be entitled to retain and use the gratis official (blue) passport issued to him or her after ceasing to hold office”.
The amendment also covers lawmakers who leave office before completing five years as an MNA or six years as a senator.
At present, blue passports are issued to those ex-parliamentarians who remained a member of either House for at least one term, according to the Passport Rules 2021.
The statement of objects and reasons of the bill approved by the Senate states that the amendment “brings parity with the privileges available to other high-ranking officials and ensures uniform treatment of persons who have served the state at the highest level”.
The bill has yet to be passed by the NA.
The second bill, which sought to amend Section 12 of the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 1974 to provide that “an ex-member, the spouse of the ex-member and the dependent children of the ex-member below the age of 28 years shall be entitled to a gratis official (blue) passport”, was withdrawn after opposition by treasury members in the Senate.
In July, the bill had been approved by the relevant Senate committee, with the government drawing backlash. After criticism of the bill, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry had assured that measures would be taken to ensure that the travel document was used for “only official duties” abroad and issued for a limited time in most cases.
Speaking on blue passports in the Senate, Chaudhry said the number of these official passports issued in the country had been reduced from 75,000 to 45,000 after European countries and Canada raised reservations. Around 30,000 unnecessary and inactive blue passports had been cancelled, he said.
“Security and dignity of passport is a matter of the dignity of people of Pakistan,” he remarked, noting that Pakistan also had agreements with other countries regarding blue and red passports.
He said the government had no issue with parliamentarians themselves getting blue passports but had concerns over extending the facility to their families, explaining that a large number of blue passports resulted in other countries hesitating to offer visa-free access.
He added that a bill would soon be moved to withdraw the blue passport facility available for the children of retired bureaucrats.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar emphasised that blue passports should be regulated as they are meant for official business.
“Let children make their own careers; respect is not built through blue passports,” he said.
He also called for ending the six-year service requirement for Senate members to obtain official passports, saying the rules should be the same for members of the Senate and the NA.
NA members became eligible for official passports after taking the oath, while senators had to complete their six-year term, he said, adding that a senator who resigned a few months before completing their term could lose eligibility for the passport.
PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali strongly criticised the requirement of a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the interior ministry for the issuance of blue passports to parliamentarians, saying it did not exist earlier.
“Are we dacoits or terrorists that we need NOCs?” he said, terming the requirement a breach of privilege. He announced that he would move a privilege motion in this regard.
A bill seeking the issuance of blue passports to dependent children of ex-MPAs who were under the age of 28 was approved by a Senate panel on July 10.
‘Assault on people’s mandate’
The Senate also witnessed a debate between the opposition and the treasury over the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas termed the move an “assault on the people’s mandate”.
“You robbed the people’s votes. Your own minister said the system has collapsed,” he said, referring to comments made by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi about the governance system in the country requiring a reset.
Speaking at the Pakistan Economic Summit in July, the interior minister had said the current “system” of governance had “collapsed”, and was fundamentally incapable of resolving the country’s problems.
The opposition leader said what happened in KP was “sheer oppression” and could have been avoided.
He also urged the government not to push people to the wall, saying, “You snatched the mandate from Bengalis and they separated. You have still not learned.”
Abbas also sought a briefing on Yemen, noting that Parliament in 2015 had passed a resolution not to be part of the conflict in the Middle Eastern country. He said he had written to the prime minister and foreign minister asking them to mediate, instead of becoming part of the conflict.
“This is a sensitive issue. Countries are economically devastated and we are going to be part of another war,” he said.
In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that emergency and governor’s rule were imposed in KP via a presidential order under Articles 233 and 234 of the Constitution, and were ratified by the Senate and National Assembly.
“All steps have been taken in the interest of peace, stability and national interest,” he said.