Pakistan refuses to revoke Adnan Sami’s nationality

Officials demand ‘unconditional apology’ for disrespecting green passport

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has refused to confirm renunciation of nationality by its India-based singer Adnan Sami over his alleged disrespectful behaviour towards his national identity.

Authorities have refused to issue the “renunciation of citizenship certificate” to the famous singer in a move which can hurt his efforts to adopt the Indian nationality. The certificate is necessary for any Pakistani citizen who wants to adopt the citizenship of any other country.





Officials dealing with his renunciation process said on Tuesday the refusal came after the singer threw away his nationality documents. “Why would we issue the certificate to a man who has no respect for ‘sacred’ documents,” a senior officer of the interior ministry told The Express Tribune.

“I don’t need the green passport anymore. I have found my home in India,” the official quoted a line from a letter, said to have been written by Sami, attached with his Pakistani passport posted to Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi. Officials said the Pakistani singer would now have to submit an unconditional apology for his behaviour and follow the correct procedure for getting the renunciation certificate.

Sami, 42, had approached the Indian home ministry for exemption from deportation on humanitarian grounds five months ago. India has allowed the singer to stay in the country for an indefinite period.



Meanwhile, more than 2,000 Pakistanis have renounced their citizenship this year alone. An estimated 3,400 cases of renunciation have been handled in the past five years, immigration officials recently told a parliamentary panel.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2015.