SC to hear dual nationality case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will resume the hearing of dual nationality case Monday, Geo News reported.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, will hear a petition seeking disqualification of parliamentarians holding dual nationality. One Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi had filed a petition in the court, requesting to direct the ECP to obtain the complete record of parliamentarians who held dual nationalities. He further pleaded that the court disqualify such parliamentarians and restrain them from contesting the next general elections.

On Monday, the SC suspended the National Assembly membership of PPP’s Zahid Iqbal and also re-issued notices to other parliamentarians for holding dual nationality.

During the hearing, the court directed sending the order to the Speaker National Assembly on the suspension of Zahid Iqbal, a PPP MNA, elected from NA-162, Sahiwal. The court suspended the National Assembly membership of Zahid Iqbal, after he failed to submit his reply before the court.

Mian Rauf, the counsel for Zahid Iqbal, contended before the court that he had contacted his client in London some three days ago. He submitted that his client told him that if any documents were produced before the court against him in the instant case, he would contest them before the court

During the course of hearing, the court again issued notices to MQM’s Nadia Gabol (MPA) and Farhat Mehmood (MNA), PML-N’s Waseem Qadir (MPA), Nadeem Khadim (MPA) and Dr Ashraf Chohan (MPA) to appear before the court at the next hearing after they didn’t appear before the court.

Jameel Awan, a PML-N lawmaker, accepted that he had Dutch nationality but was not a citizen. Justice Jawad S Khawaja, however, observed that under the Constitution, people holding dual nationalities cannot be a part of Pakistan’s assemblies.

Meanwhile, Tariq Alwana has denied the accusation of having dual nationality and sought more time to furnish an explanation. The petitioner, Wahid Anjum, requested the court to collect records from the airport authorities and FIA. The court, however, observed that it was not its job to do so and asked him to produce before the court all records in this regard. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till today.

It is pertinent to mention here that the court had already suspended the membership of Farahnaz Ispahani, MNA, spouse of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States and Rehman Malik, former interior minister, for holding dual nationalities.

Similarly, the court on June 13, had also suspended the membership of Muhammad Ikhlaq and Amna Butter, MPAs of the Punjab Assembly, and Dr Ahmed Ali, MPA, Sindh Assembly, after they admitted to holding American and British citizenships respectively.