People Wait for Relief, While Parliamentarians Wait for “Blue Passports” for Their Families

Across the democratic world, members of parliament compete to prove how effectively they have served the people who elected them. Their success is measured by the problems they solved, the reforms they introduced, and the welfare they delivered to their constituents. Unfortunately, in Pakistan the competition often appears to revolve around something entirely different: how elected representatives can further enhance their own privileges at public expense. One cannot help but ask:  Have they forgotten why they were elected?

The famous Urdu expression, *”Anokha Ladla Kheln Ko Mange Chand”* (the spoiled child demanding the moon) seems particularly relevant in such situations. Whenever a proposal concerning additional privileges for members of parliament is introduced, political divisions miraculously disappear. Government and opposition, usually engaged in bitter confrontation, suddenly stand united. Heated arguments, personal attacks, and political rivalries are set aside as everyone comes together in support of measures that benefit themselves.

The latest proposal seeks to grant **Blue Passports** not only to members of parliament but also to their spouses and children, and, according to reports, with **lifetime eligibility**. Such demands raise serious questions about national priorities.

Pakistan already carries the burden of numerous lifelong privileges extended to various categories of former public office holders, including judges, retired military officers, and former ministers. These benefits often extend well beyond pensions and may include official residences, government vehicles, fuel allowances, domestic staff, travel facilities, airport VIP lounge access, and other state-funded conveniences. These lifelong benefits continue to place a considerable burden on an economy that is already under immense strain.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior reportedly approved the proposal without significant hesitation. Supporters argue that senior bureaucrats enjoy Blue Passports and therefore parliamentarians’ families deserve similar treatment. However, a truly public-oriented approach would have been to question whether such privileges should continue after retirement rather than expanding them to even more beneficiaries.

Ironically, while the Prime Minister and the country’s leadership are striving to stabilize Pakistan’s fragile economy—seeking international financial support, encouraging investment, and attempting to restore economic confidence—such proposals appear to move in the opposite direction by increasing the financial burden on the state.

A similar debate recently emerged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where additional privileges approved for the Chief Minister reportedly received swift approval from the Governor. Following public criticism, those decisions were reportedly reconsidered.

Today Pakistan stands at a critical point in its history. The country remains heavily burdened by debt. Inflation has severely affected ordinary citizens. Unemployment continues to shatter the hopes of millions of young people. Industrialists complain about uncertainty, farmers struggle to receive fair compensation for their produce, traders face increasing tax pressures, while many tax evaders continue to escape accountability. At the same time, countless Pakistanis are leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad.

Against such a backdrop, a proposal to extend Blue Passports to parliamentarians’ families becomes far more than a routine administrative matter. It becomes a symbol of misplaced national priorities.

In every democratic system, parliament represents the hopes and aspirations of the people. It legislates, holds governments accountable, and shapes the nation’s future. However, when the hardships of ordinary citizens continue to grow while parliamentary debates increasingly focus on privileges and benefits, public confidence inevitably begins to erode.

Every citizen has the right to ask difficult but necessary questions:

* Has inflation significantly decreased?
* Has electricity become affordable?
* Have millions of unemployed young people found meaningful jobs?
* Have public institutions become more efficient?
* Has justice become more accessible to ordinary citizens?

If public perception suggests that the answers remain largely unsatisfactory, then another question naturally arises: **Where is Parliament concentrating its energy?**

An official passport represents the authority and responsibilities of the state; it is not intended to become a hereditary privilege. If an elected representative travels abroad on official government business, appropriate travel documents are understandable. Extending such facilities to family members, however, shifts the discussion away from public service and toward personal entitlement.

State resources should always be allocated according to public necessity rather than official status.

Ideally, those claiming to represent the people should instead work toward enhancing the global reputation and strength of Pakistan’s ordinary **green passport**, which unfortunately continues to rank among the weaker passports internationally. Improving Pakistan’s international standing would benefit millions of citizens—not merely a small political class.

Over the years, a perception has steadily developed in Pakistani politics: achieving consensus on public issues often proves difficult, but agreement arrives remarkably quickly whenever salaries, allowances, or privileges are under discussion. Whether entirely accurate or not, this perception itself damages democratic institutions because democracy depends upon public trust, and trust is built through transparency, accountability, and selfless leadership.

Imagine if Parliament devoted the same enthusiasm to debating employment generation, vocational training, agricultural reforms, export promotion, healthcare, education, industrial development, and tax reforms as it often displays while discussing members’ privileges. Pakistan’s future could look remarkably different.

Today millions of educated young Pakistanis continue searching for employment. Government schools still lack basic facilities. Public hospitals remain overcrowded and under-resourced. Many communities continue to struggle for access to clean drinking water. Small businesses fight for survival. Farmers face rising fertilizer costs, climate-related challenges, and declining profitability.

When citizens repeatedly witness parliamentary discussions centered more on privileges than on solving these pressing national problems, disappointment becomes inevitable.

Although stories of economic progress are frequently highlighted, troubling reports concerning crimes against women and children continue to emerge from various parts of the country. Economic development alone cannot define national success without equal emphasis on justice, public safety, and social welfare.

Pakistan’s own history teaches that nations progress when their leaders make sacrifices for the people rather than seeking additional benefits for themselves. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned public office as a responsibility of service, not a means of personal enrichment. Leaders who uphold this principle earn lasting respect from their people.

The true strength of democracy lies not merely in winning elections but in honouring the trust placed in elected representatives. Parliament becomes stronger when representatives genuinely become the voice of the people. Conversely, democracy weakens whenever citizens begin to feel that their concerns have become secondary to the comforts of those in power.

Today Pakistan’s Parliament has an opportunity to send a powerful message—that its foremost priority is the ordinary citizen, not additional privileges for elected officials. If Parliament itself demonstrates fiscal discipline, transparency, accountability, and restraint, the nation will be far more willing to support difficult economic reforms.

The people of Pakistan expect Parliament to take practical measures that reduce inflation, create employment, increase exports, strengthen education and healthcare, and restore hope to the country’s youth.

That is the agenda that will earn Parliament a respected place in history.

Additional privileges may generate headlines for a few days—but they have never changed the destiny of nations.