Summary The Senate on Monday passed a bill allowing former lawmakers to retain their official blue passports even if they left office before completing a full term.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The Senate on Monday passed a bill allowing former lawmakers to retain their official blue passports even if they left office before completing a full term.
However, a separate bill seeking to extend the facility to their dependent children under 28 was withdrawn after objections from treasury members.
The amendment to the Passports Act, 1974, covers former members of the National Assembly and Senate who took the oath of office but did not serve out their full term.
The bill must now be approved by the National Assembly before it can become law.
Official blue passports are issued to designated constitutional office-holders, government and judicial officials, senior bureaucrats and their eligible dependents.
They provide visa-free access to 55 countries, including 22 in Europe, according to the report.
Both bills were moved by Senator Abdul Qadir. The approved legislation proposes inserting a new Section 3-A into the Passports Act, allowing a former parliamentarian to retain and use a gratis official passport after leaving office, whether they served a full term or completed only the remainder of another member’s tenure.
Under the existing rules, National Assembly members become eligible for blue passports after taking the oath, while senators must complete their six-year term to qualify. The amendment seeks to remove that disparity by allowing former lawmakers from either House to retain their official passports even if they leave office before completing a full term.
The proposed provision 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 change would cover lawmakers who leave the NA before completing five years or the Senate before completing six years.
Under the existing Passport Rules 2021, former parliamentarians qualify for blue passports if they have served at least one full term in either House.
The bill’s statement of objects and reasons says 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 Senate also withdrew a separate bill proposing blue passports for former lawmakers’ spouses and dependent children under 28 after treasury members opposed the measure.
