SC annuls Rind election for holding dual nationality

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday declared null and void the election of Advisor to Chief Minister Balochistan Abdur Rauf Rind on account of his dual nationalities. A seven-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard the case of dual citizenship of Parliamentarians.

The court after accepting the appeal of one Barkat Ali annulled the election of Abdur Rauf, the incumbent Advisor to CM Balochistan on Fisheries, for holding dual citizenship.

The court held that Rind was holding dual citizenship when he was filing his nomination papers for contesting election.

During the course of hearing, counsel for the petitioner Barkat Ali, submitted that the Returning Officer while accepting the nomination papers of Abdur Rauf Rind did not take into account his dual citizenship as he had not submitted with his nomination papers a certificate pertaining to cancelation of his citizenship of Oman.

Counsel for Abdur Rauf Rind argued before the court that Rind had canceled his Oman citizenship before contesting the election adding that he was by birth citizen of Oman as his father was national of that country.

Chief Justice observed that at the time of filing his nomination papers for the election he had not cancelled his citizenship of Oman.

Justice Ijazul Ahsen observed that citizenship of a person come to an end after the authorities of the concerned country issue a certificate

Later, the court annulled the victory of Abdur Rauf Rind in election from PP 47 Kech. Rind was declared winner from provincial assembly constituency PP 47 Kech in May 2018 election who was latter appointed as Advisor on Fisheries to Chief Minister Balochsitan.

Meanwhile, the court summoned record pertaining to cancellation of British citizenship of former Senator and incumbent Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar. His counsel told the court that before being elected as Senator, his client had cancelled his Britain citizenship. The Chief Justice asked the learned counsel to show the court letter if issued by the Secretariat of State.

The Chief Justice asked the counsel to produce before the court documents of cancelling the Britain citizenship, which will be attested form the Foreign Office and adjourned the hearing six weeks.

Similarly the court also took up the matter of Senator Haroon Akhtar wherein his counsel said that before contesting for the Upper House of the Parliament, he had cancelled his Canadian citizenship. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked the counsel to show the certificate to which the counsel replied that the instant certificate has not yet been received. Later the court adjourned for a week.