ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Interior Chairman Rehman Malik on Monday made a volte-face on his position on permission for foreign diplomatic missions to take Pakistani passports out of the country for stamping visas and asked the interior ministry to revoke this arrangement immediately.

“I have learnt that a number of foreign missions, including European countries, have been sending Pakistani passports to the Gulf and other countries for stamping visas. It is not appropriate to allow sending Pakistani documents out of the country. The interior ministry should immediately take notice of outsourcing visa stamping and withdraw the facility,” he said while chairing a meeting of the committee at Parliament House.

However, an official of the interior ministry that it was Mr Malik who had allowed different countries to take Pakistani passports out of the country for stamping visas when he was interior minister during the PPP government.

“It is strange that today he is saying that permission for sending the passports out of the country was against the sanctity of Pakistani documents,” he said.

Rehman Malik makes volte-face on policy he introduced as interior minister

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, Mr Malik admitted he had allowed embassies to stamp visas outside the country.

“At that time, we were fighting a war against terrorism and due to security issues a number of embassies were either moved to other countries, or they reduced their staff due to which it was not possible for them to stamp visas in Pakistan. I allowed this for only six months but it is strange that the practice is still going on till date,” he said.

Asked how many foreign missions were stamping visas outside the country, Mr Malik said he has decided to ask the interior ministry to provide a complete list.

“I have received a number of complaints that Pakistani passports are sent out of the country and that is why I have directed the ministry to withdraw the facility,” he said.

Blacklist management

Discussing matters of the Immigration and Passports directorate, the committee expressed concern regarding the management of the blacklist. The committee chairman recommended that in the presence of the Exit Control List, the current blacklist should not be used for criminal cases and should only pertain to offences related to passports.

He said blacklist has no legal status and that no one should be listed on it based on complaints.

The committee also suggested changing the name of the list from blacklist to a restrictive list and that the concerned minister should decide to include or exclude names on the list instead of putting it to cabinet for every case.

Senator Malik asked the interior minister to formulate compact rules and criteria for placing names on the ECL and the blacklist, adding that it is the basic responsibility of the concerned authority or department to inform the accused before placing their name on the ECL or blacklist.

He said it is the right of the accused to have prior information before travelling so that one can avail the legal right to appeal and suggested that a helpline be established to facilitate people.

On May 11, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s close friend Zulfikar Hussain Bukhari managed to leave for Saudi Arabia with Imran Khan even though his name was on the blacklist.

According to a letter issued by the interior ministry, a one-time permission was given to Mr Bukhari for six days so he could perform umrah.

The committee chairman also directed the director general immigration and passport to provide the facility of printing passports for overseas Pakistanis in their country of residence as they are the backbone of the country’s economy and should be facilitated as much as possible.

The Federal Investigation Agency director general was directed to submit a detailed report to the committee about the corruption cases in the Immigration and Passports directorate.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2018