The Senate on Monday rejected a motion to introduce the Passports (Amendment) Bill 2026, which sought to restrict the issuance of diplomatic passports to ministers of state, advisers, special assistants and senior bureaucrats.
The private members’ bill was brought by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, along with Senators Samina Mumtaz Zehri and Saifullah Abro.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry opposed the bill, saying it sought to curtail the authority of the cabinet. Faisal Rehman said diplomatic passports should be held by ministers only and should not be distributed widely. PPP Senator Zamir Ghumro said a minister of state is a representative of parliament.
The bill proposed amending the Passports Act 1974 by inserting a new Section 12A, titled “Restriction on Diplomatic Passport Entitlement of Ministers of State, Advisers, Special Assistants, Federal Secretaries and Director Generals.”
Under the proposed provision, no diplomatic passport could be issued, re-issued or renewed to a minister of state, an adviser or special assistant to the prime minister, a federal secretary other than the foreign secretary, or a director general, by virtue of holding that office.
Any such passport already held would have to be surrendered to the prescribed authority within 30 days of the act’s commencement.
The bill also stated that these officeholders would remain entitled to ordinary or official passports where otherwise eligible. It would not affect any independent entitlement arising from another office, appointment or diplomatic assignment that lawfully carries such entitlement.
