Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has called for stricter regulations on the issuance of blue passports following concerns over their alleged misuse by family members of public office holders and lawmakers.

Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, the minister said that the son of a Member of the National Assembly reportedly traveled to Italy using a blue passport, later surrendering it and applying for asylum.

The matter was raised during discussions on proposals to extend official passport facilities to parliamentarians and their families. The minister said such incidents have been reported back to Pakistan through diplomatic channels, describing them as damaging to the country’s reputation abroad.

Lawmakers were informed that the government has already reduced the issuance of official passports and intends to further restrict them to cases of genuine necessity.

Talal Chaudhry noted that misuse of official travel documents has negatively impacted Pakistan’s international image and has also created difficulties in bilateral engagements, as several countries have raised concerns about the volume of official passports issued.

He added that the issue has become a recurring point in diplomatic discussions and warned that such misuse weakens Pakistan’s credibility in international forums.

Committee Chairman Faisal Saleem suggested that blue passport privileges should ideally be limited to elected representatives and not extended to bureaucrats or family members of officials.

The minister also questioned whether adult children of lawmakers and government officials should continue to be eligible for such documents, stating that any changes in policy would require proper legislative approval.

The committee directed authorities to submit complete records of official passport issuance, including details related to parliamentarians, civil servants, and their families.

Blue passports in Pakistan are issued to government officials and certain public office holders for official travel and may carry diplomatic or visa facilitation benefits in some countries.

However, the issue has remained controversial due to past cases involving alleged misuse, overstays, and asylum applications by holders abroad.