After its holder ceases to hold official position, Diplomatic passport to be surrendered within 30 days

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of incumbent cabinet members and government functionaries are issued diplomatic passports by the federal government but they are required to surrender them within 30 days of their ceasing to hold official positions.

“They will hold the diplomatic passports as long as they hold the offices,” say the rules governing the issuance of these documents. “If they cease to hold such offices, they may be required to surrender within 30 days their diplomatic passports and those of their spouses, if they hold them, and may be given gratis ordinary passports valid for five years, one term only. The surrendered passports will be cancelled by the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, personally.”

Former presidents, ex-prime ministers, former Senate Chairmen, ex-National Assembly Speakers, their spouses and dependent children are also entitled to diplomatic passports. When contacted, former Senate Chairman Wasim Sajjad explained to The News that previously, a visa for several countries was not required for diplomatic passport holders, but the number of visa-free destinations has drastically come down with the passage of time.

No European country exempts such holders from the visa requirement, he said, and added that there were three types of Pakistani passports – ordinary, official and diplomatic. Each one of them has its own specific features.

A senior government official, who has worked in a UN organization, said that the Scandinavian states still exempt Pakistani diplomatic passport holders from visas, but many countries don’t. He said that some holders of such documents consider it a status symbol.

The rules specifically mention the persons who are to be issued diplomatic passports. However, the prime minister can authorize the issuance of diplomatic passports in special cases.

Issuing diplomatic passports is the responsibility of the foreign affairs ministry. Machine readable diplomatic passports are processed and passports issued by the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (Headquarters), Islamabad based on the authorization given by the foreign affairs ministry.

The class of persons entitled to diplomatic passports includes the president, the prime minister, the Senate chairman, the speaker, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, provincial governors, chief ministers, federal ministers and ministers of state (MoSs), the Attorney General of Pakistan; special assistants to the prime minister, foreign secretary, all functionaries of the federal government with the status of minister/MoSs, officers of grade 17 and above of the Pakistan Foreign Service (PFS) for the duration of their membership of the PFS; all other officers of grade 17 and above, including officers of the armed forces having equivalent ranks sent abroad on diplomatic assignments and having diplomatic status for the duration of their posting or other short-term assignments abroad,.

Diplomatic passports are also issued to Pakistan nationals holding offices in international organizations, executive heads of the secretariat of such autonomous and subsidiary organizations of the General Assembly as have acquired eminence, directors representing Pakistan in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IMF, and ADB, president & vice presidents of the World Bank and managing director & directors of the IMF; officers holding the rank of assistant secretary general and above in the UN secretariat and its specialized agencies, secretary general of the Economic Coordination Organization, secretary general of the OIC Secretariat.