The sorry saga of dual nationality is just an attempt to undermine the supremacy of parliament.
ISLAMABAD: I appreciate the efforts of the PPP government for coming up with the proposed dual national bill in order to make lawmakers, who hold dual nationality, eligible to participate in elections. The sorry saga of dual nationality is just an attempt to undermine the supremacy of parliament. The case of dual nationality held by parliamentarians is a confusing one because on one hand, dual nationals have been given the right to vote in elections, while on the other hand, they have no right to contest them. This is an ironic situation indeed.
Even well-established democracies of the world have no issue with public office-holders who are dual nationals. Arnold Schwarznegger retained his Austrian citizenship during his service as the governor of California. Former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner was a dual citizen born in the UK. Parliament should decide the issue and legislate on it as we have practical examples of established democracies of the world allowing dual nationals the right to sit in parliament.
Dr Saifur Rehman,
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2012.
