‘Speak Respectfully, This Won’t Work’: Heated Exchange Between Talal Chaudhry and Senator Saifullah Abro
ISLAMABAD: A heated exchange took place between Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Senator Saifullah Abro during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior.
The meeting, chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman, discussed important matters related to the issuance of blue passports and legislation. Tensions escalated when objections were raised over the conduct of the two lawmakers during the discussion.
Addressing Talal Chaudhry, Senator Saifullah Abro said, “Speak respectfully. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated.” He complained about the minister’s alleged attitude towards senators, saying, “Senators are not your employees.”
Responding to the senator, Talal Chaudhry said, “I am not your employee either. Whatever is discussed here will be in accordance with the Constitution and the law.”
During the exchange of harsh remarks, Committee Chairman Faisal Saleem Rehman repeatedly intervened and urged both sides to remain quiet in an effort to restore order.
In the second part of the meeting, passport authorities and committee members held a detailed discussion on the issuance of passports to former and serving parliamentarians.
Talal Chaudhry revealed that blue passports had been issued extensively in the past, which, he said, had brought a bad name to Pakistan. He said the government had reduced the number of such passports by 25,000, with 99 percent of the reduction involving officers and bureaucrats.
سینیٹ داخلہ کمیٹی میں طلال چوہدری اور سیف اللہ ابڑو کے درمیان گرماگرمی
تمیز سے بات کرو ایسے نہیں چلے گا، سیف اللہ ابڑو
میں آپکا ملازم نہیں ہوں قانون کے مطابق بات ہو گی، طلال چوہدری
چیرمین کمیٹی فیصل سلیم رحمان دونوں کو خاموش کراتے رہے pic.twitter.com/1QaK01crCu— Ali Tanoli (@alitanoli889) September 7, 2026
Committee Chairman Faisal Saleem Rehman questioned why a passport was issued for only one year if its legal validity was five years. He also asked whether former senators would need to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) after completing their terms.
He said that if parliamentarians were not to be issued passports, the government should introduce legislation clearly stating that parliamentarians and their children would not be eligible for passports.
Passport authorities informed the committee that passports were being issued to serving parliamentarians, while cases involving former senators were being forwarded to the Ministry of Interior.
Talal Chaudhry further said that the government was not stopping anyone from obtaining a passport and added that a complaint by the wife of former PML-N leader Abid Sher Ali had also been addressed, following which her passport was issued.
