Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Talal Chaudhry has claimed that the number of countries offering visa-free access to Pakistani passport holders has increased due to the measures taken by his government.
This claim is incorrect.
Claim
In an interview with Truth Wire on July 7, Chaudhry was asked about the Members of Parliament Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to allow the issuance of blue passports to children under the age of 28 of former members of parliament.
In response, the state minister said the government was committed to improving Pakistan’s passport ranking and had introduced amendments to immigration laws to achieve that goal.
“We have adopted a very strict approach, whether it concerns blue passports, red passports, the security features of passports, or immigration laws, due to which Pakistan’s visa-free access around the world has increased,” Chaudhry said.
His comments can be heard at the 36:00 mark here.
Fact
Available data does not support Talal Chaudhry’s claim. While Pakistan’s passport ranking has fluctuated in recent years, the number of destinations Pakistani passport holders can access without obtaining a visa in advance has declined, not increased this year.
The Henley Passport Index, compiled by London-based immigration consultancy Henley and Partners, ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can enter without obtaining a visa in advance.
According to the index:
In 2023, Pakistan ranked 106th with visa-free access to 32 destinations.
In 2024, Pakistan ranked 101st with visa-free access to 34 destinations.
In 2025, Pakistan ranked 103rd with visa-free access to 33 destinations.
The 2023, 2024 and 2025 reports can be accessed here.
But in its quarterly updates for 2026, Henley further reduced Pakistan’s visa-free score from 33 in 2025 to 31, and then to 29 in its July 2026 edition.
This means Pakistani passport holders can currently access fewer destinations without obtaining a visa in advance than they could a year earlier.
The July 2026 report can be accessed here.
Furthermore in January, a spokesperson of Henley told Geo Fact Check that an improvement in ranking of a country does not necessarily reflect a stronger passport.
“Rankings [in the report] are often affected by movement and consolidation across the rest of the list, so they should be viewed in context. The change in the visa-free score is a more accurate measure of how a passport’s strength has evolved over the years,” she explained.
Pakistan’s Visa-Free Score (2023–2026)
| Year | Visa-Free Score |
| 2023 | 32 |
| 2024 | 34 |
| 2025 | 33 |
| 2026 | 29 (July) |
Verdict: Contrary to Talal Chaudhry’s claim, Pakistan’s visa-free access has declined, not increased, according to the Henley Passport Index.
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2026-08-01 13:48:00
