Pakistan restricts blue passport eligibility to curb government official misuse

The Government of Pakistan has initiated a formal review of the criteria for issuing official blue passports, moving to restrict the travel privileges currently granted to senior bureaucrats and government employees. The directive, issued on Sunday, 19 July, follows reports of unauthorized personnel utilizing the high-ranking travel document for personal international travel. Stricter Eligibility Standards According to the Ministry of Interior, the new policy aims to curb the misuse of the blue passport, which allows Pakistani officials to travel to several countries without a visa or with simplified entry requirements. The Directorate General of Immigration and Passports has been tasking with auditing the list of current holders to ensure only entitled federal and provincial officers, as designated under the Passport Act of 1974, retain the document. The review was triggered by an official notification indicating that a significant number of former officials and their family members have failed to surrender their blue passports after leaving government service. Internal data suggests that thousands of these documents remain active despite the holders no longer being in active service or eligible positions. Impact on Government Personnel Under the revised rules, the issuance of blue passports will be strictly tied to the official's grade and the nature of their foreign assignments. Retired government employees will be required to return their official documents within a…