Islamabad: The federal government of Pakistan has decided to cancel the passports of citizens who have applied for political asylum in foreign countries.
Sources revealed that the government has reversed a decision made last year by the foreign minister and has now decided to amend the passport rules. A summary of the proposed amendments has been sent to the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC), sources from the Ministry of Law and Justice confirmed.
Once approved by the CCLC, the summary will be presented to the federal cabinet for final approval. Sources said that over 100,000 Pakistani nationals have applied for political asylum in various countries—many of which are allegedly based on false claims.
Officials in the Ministry of Law stated that these asylum seekers are tarnishing the country’s reputation. Officials at the Directorate General of Passports also confirmed that individuals who seek asylum abroad will not be eligible for passport renewal in the future.
Sources added that the decision to amend the passport rules was made after consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
It is worth noting that in June, the federal government began the process of canceling the passports of more than 7,800 citizens who were deported from various countries for involvement in begging and other illegal activities.
According to reports, senior officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis informed the Senate committee that, based on data from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistani missions abroad, 7,873 Pakistanis were deported between 2019 and 2025 for various reasons.
Officials further informed the committee that the government has initiated the cancellation of passports for all deportees in an effort to discourage the rising trend of begging abroad.
