Pakistan asked to reduce the number of blue passports for visa exemption
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that visa-free entry arrangements with 25 countries would be finalised within the next six months.
“The value of the green passport is currently improving, and its rating will advance further over the next six months,” he said while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior. The meeting was chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz.
Naqvi said that the matter required a collective decision by parliament in view of visa-exemption negotiations, international commitments, and the planned transition to e-passports. Visa-free entry arrangements had already been made with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while a similar arrangement with Qatar is expected soon, he said.
He said that the total number of blue passports was 70,000. However, some countries had indicated that they could terminate visa-exemption agreements if the number of blue passports was not reduced to 25,000.
“Visa-free entry cannot be secured for 70,000 blue passports,” he said, adding that most countries first ask about the total number of blue passports issued before considering such agreements.
He said that 22,000 blue passports had been cancelled and that ban has currently been imposed on the issuance. The whole world is telling us to reduce the number of blue passports to 25,000 then Pakistan will secure travel concessions.
Naqvi said that now we have to make decisions for the betterment of the Pakistan passport. Blue passports were now being issued to members of parliament for a period of three years, he said.
The interior minister said that a special team within the Ministry of Interior was working across the country to improve travel facilitation arrangements. Naqvi said that the impression that the parliamentarians are holding major number of blue passports was not correct.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that the excessive issuance of blue passports was also affecting visa-free travel arrangements and undermining Pakistan’s efforts to secure greater travel facilitation for its citizens.
Responding to a question from lawmaker Agha Rafiullah about whether blue passports issued in Pakistan could affect the country’s relations with other states, Chaudhry said that the numbers did have an impact on agreements with other countries.
Rafiullah disagreed with the argument and said he was willing to surrender his own passport if necessary. He questioned that the rationale behind the government’s position and called for explanations based on the relevant laws. “We are representatives of the people. That is not a logical answer,” Rafiullah remarked, insisting that the government should clearly identify the provisions of the law governing the issuance of blue passports.
During the meeting, committee members asked the government to provide a detailed breakdown of the 30,000 passports reduced from the overall number.
Chaudhry assured the committee that details concerning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials serving on deputation and former government officers would also be provided.
The state minister said that arms licences had previously been sold in the streets of Rawalpindi and claimed that the current government had not issued a single licence.
A senior official of Ministry of Interior told the committee that the rules governing official passports were being reviewed to improve the international standing of Pakistan’s green passport and facilitate visa-exemption arrangements. Members questioned the proposed restrictions on passport validity and renewal and emphasised the need for a uniform policy consistent with statutory entitlements.
Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Crime Control Department (CCD) Sohail Zafar Chattha briefed the committee regarding the special committee formed by the Punjab chief minister to investigate the murder of Hina Javed.
Chattha said that the special committee under his leadership met the victim’s family, recorded their concerns and visited the crime scene, including the room of the victim’s father-in-law. The team also questioned suspects Zeeshan and Faisal Asghar at Adiala Jail in the presence of jail officials, he said, adding that the questioning took place in the office of the Adiala Jail superintendent, he said.
He said that police recovered a bedsheet, a rope and a drawstring, which investigators believe were used in the crime.
He added that DNA testing of the victim matched DNA evidence linked to domestic employee Zeeshan Arshad. Marks were also found on Zeeshan Arshad’s neck, which were documented in police records. Investigators also found traces linked to him on the carpet in the room, he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026