ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (APP):Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Ahmed Chaudhry told the Senate on Monday that parliamentarians were not required to obtain a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) or prior approval to get passports.
Responding to points raised by Senators, he said the verification of their identity and status had been shifted to a higher level to make the process more effective. The change did not introduce a new approval requirement, he added.
The minister said the issue of issuing passports to parliamentarians’ children up to the age of 28 had been discussed with a committee and parliamentary party leaders. The government would introduce legislation to address concerns and correct irregularities in the law, he said.
He said that none of the 30,000 passports recently withdrawn belonged to political representatives.
The minister said the rules allowed passports of different durations and rejected the impression that parliamentarians were being deprived of a lifetime passport facility.
He assured the Senate that the process would be made easier and more effective in response to concerns raised by the chairman and members.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
