Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that Pakistan blue passport numbers must come down if Islamabad wants to keep and expand visa-exemption deals, telling a National Assembly committee that some countries could scrap those arrangements unless the blue stock falls from 70,000 to 25,000.
Briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior, chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, Naqvi said visa-free entry with 25 countries would be finalised within the next six months. He also said the ordinary green passport’s value was improving and that its rating should rise further over that period.
Why blue passport numbers matter for visa deals
A blue passport is Pakistan’s official or service passport, used by a limited pool of officials and other eligible holders rather than ordinary travellers. Naqvi said most countries ask first how many blue passports Pakistan has issued before they discuss visa-free or visa-exemption terms. “Visa-free entry cannot be secured for 70,000 blue passports,” he said.
He reported that 22,000 blue passports had already been cancelled and that a ban on new issuance was in place. The policy aim, he said, was to bring the total to 25,000 so Pakistan could lock in travel concessions. He argued the step was needed for the betterment of the Pakistan passport overall, against the backdrop of visa-exemption talks, international commitments, and a planned shift to e-passports—electronic passports with a digital chip—which he said required a collective decision by parliament.
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar on the visa-free track
Naqvi said visa-free entry arrangements were already in place with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with a similar arrangement with Qatar expected soon. A special team in the Ministry of Interior was working nationwide on travel facilitation, he added. He also rejected the impression that parliamentarians held the bulk of blue passports, and said blue passports were now being issued to members of parliament for three years.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the same meeting that excessive blue passport issuance was affecting visa-free travel arrangements and undermining efforts to win more facilitation for citizens. Asked by lawmaker Agha Rafiullah whether blue passports could affect relations with other states, Chaudhry said the numbers did influence agreements with other countries.
Lawmakers press for detail and legal clarity
Rafiullah disputed that framing, said he was willing to surrender his own passport if necessary, and pressed the government to cite the laws that govern blue passport issuance. “We are representatives of the people. That is not a logical answer,” he said.
Committee members asked for a detailed breakdown of 30,000 passports reduced from the overall figure. Chaudhry said further detail on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials on deputation, and former government officers would be shared. A senior Ministry of Interior official said rules for official passports were under review to lift the standing of the green passport and support visa-exemption talks. Members also questioned proposed limits on passport validity and renewal and called for a uniform policy in line with statutory entitlements.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Wazeer-e-Dakhla Mohsin Naqvi ne kaha hai ke Pakistan blue passport ki tadad 70,000 se ghatakar 25,000 karni hogi. Agar yeh kami na hui to kuch mamalik visa exemption khatam kar sakte hain. Ab tak 22,000 blue passport cancel ho chuke hain aur naye jaari karne par rok hai. Aam shehri ke liye matlab yeh hai ke green passport ki qadr barhne aur zyada mamalik mein visa-free entry milne ki koshish chal rahi hai.
