The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Friday unanimously approved a bill to grant official blue passports to former parliamentarians, their spouses, and children under the age of 28 years old, endorsing amendments moved through a private member’s bill.
Introduced by Senator Abdul Qadir, the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Amendment Act, 2026, entitles all former parliamentarians to free blue passports, the official travel documents issued to government officials, lawmakers, judges and military personnel undertaking official state assignments. Spouses and dependent children up to 28 are also entitled to free blue passports under the legislation.
The bill states that retired Grade-22 federal secretaries and their families already enjoy the same facility and aims to place former parliamentarians on an equal footing with the retired bureaucrats.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry supported the passage of the bill, saying the recommendations would be placed before the federal cabinet for finalization by the competent authority.
Earlier, debating the proposed legislation, members of the committee discussed the implications of the policy, including its potential impact on Pakistan’s international passport ranking.
Missing cigarettes
In its meeting, the committee also deliberated on a scandal pertaining to the disappearance of Rs. 250 million worth of cigarettes from Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) godowns in Swabi and Mardan. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials told the panel the names of the officers allegedly involved cannot be placed on the Exit Control List until the completion of legal proceedings, adding investigative agencies are required to seek the department’s permission before initiating inquiries against its officers.
Rejecting this stance, the committee stressed that accountability institutions must work independently. They also questioned the FBR’s internal probe, adding the department had not fully cooperated with police investigators. They alleged that the FBR appeared to be making scapegoats of junior staff to shield senior officials.
Also on Friday, the committee reviewed the policy on allocation of non-custom-paid and tampered vehicles to government departments and directed the FBR to submit a complete list of the same.
Forced marriage
The panel also discussed the alleged abduction and forced marriage of a girl from Islamabad, with police informing the committee an FIR was registered on May 5. He said a marriage certificate was on record and the woman, aged over 18, had sought court protection and recorded a statement under Section 164 in Khanewal.
The committee directed the minister of state for interior to constitute a three-member inquiry committee, headed by an officer not below Grade 20, to examine whether the marriage was consensual and whether further legal action was needed.