Border News Agency
Dhaka – July 28, 2025
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has confirmed that the country will issue passports to Rohingya refugees residing in Pakistan, but they will not be granted Pakistani citizenship. The passports will be marked with special codes to identify them as Rohingya, distinguishing them from regular Pakistani citizens.
The announcement came during Minister Naqvi’s official visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh the first high-level visit of its kind since 2012 where he held bilateral talks with Bangladesh’s Home Minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
Pakistan is home to an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Rohingya, most of whom live in the southern city of Karachi. Many Rohingya families settled there decades ago after fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar. However, they remain without legal citizenship status and face challenges accessing formal employment, healthcare, and education.
The decision to issue specially coded passports aims to enable Rohingya individuals to seek third-country resettlement while avoiding complications around legal citizenship.
During the meeting, the Bangladeshi side raised concerns over the long-term burden of hosting over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. Minister Chowdhury urged Pakistan to play a more active role in supporting international efforts for Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar.
Minister Naqvi acknowledged Bangladesh’s humanitarian efforts and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support in multilateral platforms to address the crisis. However, he clarified that providing citizenship to Rohingya in Pakistan is not under consideration.
The two countries also discussed strengthening cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, cybercrime, visa facilitation, and trade. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on visa-on-arrival for diplomatic and official passport holders is expected to be signed soon.
Background: The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Following decades of systemic discrimination, a brutal military crackdown in 2017 forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. Many others have sought refuge in Pakistan, India, Malaysia, and beyond. Despite their long-term presence, most host countries have not granted them citizenship or permanent legal status.
