Pakistan aims for visa-free entry with 25 countries in six months, Naqvi tells NA committee

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior that Pakistan will finalise visa-free entry arrangements with 25 countries within the next six months, and that the green passport’s international standing is improving. Briefing the committee on Thursday, he said the passport’s global ranking should advance further over the same period. The meeting was chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz.

Visa-free arrangements have already been completed with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Naqvi said, while a similar arrangement with Qatar is expected soon. He added that the matter needs a collective decision by parliament, given visa-exemption negotiations, international commitments and the planned transition to e-passports.

Blue passports are the sticking point

The minister told the committee that Pakistan currently has around 70,000 blue, or official, passports, and that several countries have made it clear they could terminate visa-exemption agreements if the number is not brought down to 25,000. “Visa-free entry cannot be secured for 70,000 blue passports,” he said, adding that most countries ask about the total number first before signing any agreement. So far 22,000 blue passports have been cancelled and new issuance is banned; parliamentarians are now issued blue passports for three years.

Committee asks for the breakdown

During the meeting, committee members asked for a detailed breakdown of the 30,000 passports reduced from the overall number. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry assured the committee the details would be provided. Naqvi also said agreements on blue passports with Kenya, Switzerland and Italy are in their final stages, and that the country is being shifted to a fully electronic passport system to guard against forgery and fraud.

One clarification matters: the announcement does not mean Pakistanis can immediately travel to 25 more countries without a visa. The agreements still have to be finalised, and the government has not announced the complete list of countries covered.