Senate body debates civil servants’ dual nationality ban

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Friday discussed the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and debated the issue of dual nationality for public officials.

The committee members emphasised that the restriction on dual nationality should apply uniformly to all civil servants, without exceptions. If exceptions are necessary, they argued, they should be applied equitably.

The committee met under the chairmanship of Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan at the Parliament House to deliberate on the proposed amendment bill. Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, the mover of the bill, said that civil servants take an oath of loyalty and faithfulness to the State of Pakistan, making it impossible for them to be equally loyal to two countries. Senator Saadia Abbasi said that in countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, citizens are allowed to hold dual nationality. She pointed out that, surprisingly, in the US, dual nationals can hold any public office except for the presidency. She urged the government of Pakistan to develop a comprehensive policy on dual nationality, clearly defining restrictions and requirements. Senator Saadia Abbasi, along with other committee members, reiterated that the restriction on dual nationality should be uniformly applicable to all civil servants and that exceptions, if any, must be applied fairly.

Secretary of the Cabinet Division Kamran Ali Afzal informed the committee that the matter had been discussed in the secretaries’ committee, which had no objections to the concept of dual nationality. However, he argued that it is inherently challenging for an individual to maintain equal loyalty to two countries. The committee decided to review the report of the secretaries’ committee in its next meeting to resolve the matter.