New Delhi, June 25 -- Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao has weighed into the debate over the legal status of passports, saying that while an Indian passport is powerful evidence of citizenship in everyday life and international travel. However, Rao said, it is not the final legal authority in disputes over citizenship.

Rao's remarks come amid a controversy sparked by the Ministry of External Affairs' recent clarification that a passport is a travel document and not proof of citizenship. The MEA reiterated on Wednesday that an Indian passport is merely a travel document and should not be regarded as conclusive proof of citizenship.

The clarification came on 24 June during briefing on India's expanding passport and mobility ecos...