Home is where one has invested in; financially, emotionally and psychologically.
LONDON: This is with reference to Arshad Zaman’s article of October 14 titled “Under law, can expatriates govern?”. In a globalised world the argument being used by the writer, albeit by quoting from Pakistani law, is increasingly becoming weaker. A foreign passport is a piece of paper, that’s about it. Home is where one has invested in; financially, emotionally and psychologically. Having a dual nationality, which allows an individual some degree of flexibility in deciding where to live, is understandable to an extent.
Of course, from a legal point of view, the writer is correct. However, it also is a reflection of what is wrong with us. By this I mean that many of us take a piece of paper to be an impediment to someone who wants to serve the country. This should not be the criterion, and in fact as long as someone is law-abiding and paying his share of taxes, he should be allowed to contest public office. If elected, he may be asked to surrender his other passport, for the duration of the period that he is to serve in that said office.
Nadir el-Edroos
Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2011.
