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National Assembly. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday postponed the Pakistan Citizenship Bill 2025 after lengthy deliberations, seeking views from relevant authorities before moving ahead.
During the session, held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Raja Khurram Nawaz, committee members and officials aired their differences on key issues, including citizenship, national identity cards and deadlines for post-1971 East Pakistani migrants.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry stressed that the bill must ultimately be passed by the National Assembly and its final approval rests with the country’s political leadership.
He urged all political parties to engage in dialogue and reach consensus to resolve this sensitive issue. “All political parties should sit together to create unanimity,” he said.
Committee member Qadir Patel noted that migration to Pakistan is still ongoing, making citizenship issues particularly sensitive. He called for a careful review of the legal framework to avoid further complications for incoming migrants.
The committee approved the Islamabad Senior Citizens’ Citizenship Bill 2025, introduced by Sharmila Farooqi, which proposes that those aged 60 years and above be given special concessions and discounts based on their existing identity cards, thereby eliminating the need for a separate senior citizen’s card.
According to the bill, senior citizens would be entitled to a 25% discount on various government and private services. Farooqi stressed that this initiative would provide tangible relief to elderly citizens without creating additional bureaucratic hurdles.
Nabeel Gabol, another member of the commission, stressed the need to consult NADRA, pointing out that biometric verification can sometimes prove difficult for citizens over 60 years old, as fingerprints are not always clear.
Minister Talal Chaudhry added that the benefits of the bill should extend beyond Islamabad and be implemented nationwide. “If it’s a good bill, it should be implemented across the country,” he said.
The Pakistan Citizenship Bill 2025, introduced by Khawaja Izharul Hassan, was also discussed in detail. Hassan reminded the committee that a significant number of people voluntarily migrated from East Pakistan in 1971, but many citizens of Karachi and other cities remain without national identity cards.
He noted that the third generation of these migrants has now reached adulthood in Pakistan, but citizenship issues persist.
