The question of Pakistani citizens who hold nationalities of other countries has arisen once again after the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to halt the notifications of senators it suspected of holding dual nationalities at the start of the month. The Supreme Court has also issued multiple deadlines to the Establishment Division to provide information of all bureaucrats who hold dual nationalities. So far, only 204 of the 33,000 strong civil service have admitted to doing so while Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has ordered the removal of all dual nationals who hold sensitive posts. The question of which public officials are allowed to hold citizenship of more than one country is one that is still being debated. Under former CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry, the Supreme Court interpreted the law to bar dual nationals from becoming members of the National Assembly, and disqualified dozens of MNAs. Many legal experts, however, contend that the law does not specifically bar dual nationals from running for high office and stipulates only that they be citizens of Pakistan. Judges, on the other hand, are permitted to hold multiple citizenships, something the political class has pointed out at hypocritical since all institutions need to be held to the same standards of qualification.
In a sense, our debate over dual nationality does not take into account the ground realities in Pakistan today. The fact is that many who have the ability to obtain foreign nationalities are thought to have done so either for themselves or their families as an escape plan – for economic, political or security reasons. It is believed that as many as 30 Pakistanis a day have been adopting second nationalities since 2004. In the case of politicians and public servants, one can understand why many would opt for holding nationality other than that of Pakistan’s. A separate but related question is that of overseas Pakistanis, who may or may not be dual nationals, and their voting rights. The Supreme Court has called for all overseas Pakistanis to be given the vote and many of the opposition parties have backed that call. Ironically, those parties which want the franchise extended to overseas Pakistanis are those who are also railing against dual nationals holding public office. In such a situation, the ideal solution is for parliament to step up and pass explicit laws on the status of dual nationals and on voting rights. We must remember that even those who hold the nationality of another country are still Pakistani citizens and deserve equal status and protection under the laws.