ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday gave civil servants the ‘last chance’ to come clean on possessing dual nati
onality.
During hearing of a suo motu case pertaining to civil servants having dual nati
onality, the Supreme Court was apprised that only 204 of 33,000 officials had admitted that they possessed dual nati
onality.
A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan expressed surprise over the data submitted by the establishment division and termed it ‘unsatisfactory’.
The court noted that it seemed to be a very meagre figure keeping in view the total number o
f the officials, and directed the Na
tional Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to help trace civil servants who possessed dual nati
onality but were not disclosing it. The court gave a ‘final chance’ to the civil servants as well to come clean on the issue.
The chief justice noted that the court will investigate the matter and if anyone was found to have concealed his foreign nati
onality, he will be dealt with sternly. He said it was not in the interest of Pakistan that persons having dual nati
onality serve on important posts.
During the hearing, the chief justice asked the Advocate General Sindh w
hether Rao Anwar, suspended SSP of Malir who is accused in Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case, possessed dual nati
onality. The advocate general, however, replied that he was unaware of it. The chief justice directed him to check and apprise the court that how many times Rao Anwar had travelled abroad.
Earlier on January 17, the Supreme Court had s
ummoned the details of senior government officials and members o
f the judiciary having dual nati
onality.
During the hearing on February 14, the chief justice himself had read out a report by registrars o
f the apex court and the high courts which declared that no official o
f the Supreme Court or high courts was found to have dual nati
onality.
Currently, judges are not barred from holding dual nati
onality.
In 2012, a Supreme Court bench headed by then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had disqualified almost a dozen lawmakers for holding dual nati
onality.
Published in Daily Times, March 2nd 2018.
