Rules for blue passport issuance tightened
ISLAMABAD: The government has tightened the rules governing the issuance of blue passports and reduced the total number of such passports from 75,000 to 30,000. “In the past, blue passports had been issued to people who were not entitled [to them],” said State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior. The meeting was chaired by Senator Faisal…
The government has implemented stricter regulations for blue passport issuance, limiting the number from 75,000 to 30,000. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry stated that blue passports were previously given to individuals who were not eligible. Chaudhry also mentioned that numerous blue passports had been issued to civil servants.
PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali recounted being asked for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Interior when he requested blue passports for his family. Director General Immigration and Passports Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Randhawa clarified that parliamentarians are issued passports for their own travel purposes. The committee inquired about the absence of a specific law regarding the use of tinted vehicle windows and the safety concerns of parliamentarians.
The committee also addressed the issue of prohibited-bore arms licences, which were previously issued by the Interior Ministry during other governments. The quota for such licences has been increased to five percent for Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Written by urgent.news from Business Recorder's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
