Minister puts positive spin on poorly ranked Pakistani passport

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan's passport has been ranked 100th globally with visa-free access to 30 countries as the government on Thursday hailed improvements in travel facilitation and diplomatic mobility agreements as evidence of administrative performance and expanding international engagement.

State Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Talal Chaudhry, responding to a point of order in the National Assembly, said Pakistan's passport ranking and international travel facilitation had improved in the current period, reflecting the government's performance. He stressed that the state fully acknowledges its responsibility to protect citizens abroad and to address matters related to visas and passports.

He said it had become "fashionable" to take the name of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to generate headlines, adding that discussions should instead focus on performance. He urged lawmakers to compare current and previous tenures in terms of results and assess performance over the past two to two-and-a-half years.