Press Release Title: Senator Khalil Tahir, presiding over a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs at Parliament House, Islamabad.

Press Release Date: 19th May, 2026

*Senate Committee Defers Bill on Official Passports for Ex-Lawmakers' Children Amid Calls for Uniformity and Discrimination Concerns* The Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met today under the chairmanship of Senator Khalil Tahir Sandhu to discuss and consider the private member's bill titled "The Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill, 2026," which was originally moved by Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir in the Senate session held on May 8, 2026. The proposed amendment seeks to extend the privilege of a gratis official blue passport to the spouses and dependent children under twenty-eight years of age of ex-members of Parliament. During the briefing, the Committee was informed by the Ministry Secretariat, on behalf of the Minister, that both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs oppose the amendment, noting that the entitlement for various categories of individuals to hold official passports is governed under the Passport Rules of 2021 as determined by the federal government, and that the proposed changes are neither required nor supported. During the deliberations, Senator Kamran observed that if there is an operational necessity to modify the criteria, the changes should be made through amending the rules rather than altering the principal legislation, noting that the Act serves as the foundational legal framework. Expressing strong reservations regarding the existing system, Senator Pervaiz argued that assigning different colors of passports to different categories of individuals constitutes a clear form of discrimination, while the Committee was further informed that a specific department within the United Nations explicitly defines diplomatic categories. In light of these concerns, the Committee amicably suggested that passport colors should be uniform across categories, with distinctions made solely through the official titles printed on the document. Emphasizing the core objective of the legislative effort, Senator Qadir maintained that achieving complete uniformity is the only true demand. Ultimately, the Committee decided to defer further consideration of the matter to its next meeting, granting a timeframe of one month to re-evaluate the bill.   The Meeting was attended by Senators Pervaiz Rasheed, Kamran Murtaza, Abdul Qadir, amongst senior officials from ministries concerned.