More dual-national bureaucrats found

With 144 more senior civil servants detected, total reaches 357

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court-formed committee has detected 144 more senior civil servants with dual nationalities taking the total number of such bureaucrats to 357 in the country.

Earlier this month, dissatisfied with the list of only 213 officials submitted, the apex court had formed a committee consisting of representatives from the Establishment Division, the National Database and Registration Authority as well as the Federal Investigation Authority for submitting details of all officers of Grades 17-22.

According to sources in the Establishment Division, over 150,000 responses have been received from ministries, divisions and autonomous bodies from the four provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Supreme Court had on January 17 taken a suo motu notice of the officers with dual nationalities serving in federal and provincial governments.



A senior official in the Establishment Division was reluctant to share the names and positions of the officers with dual nationalities, but said “the new number had increased after the apex court warned such officers of action if they did not disclose their dual nationalities”.

“These officers belong to the Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of Interior, some other ministries, including different autonomous bodies and Pakistani missions abroad,” said senior officials, who wished to remain anonymous.

According to another source, the nationalities included those of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and European countries.

Following the court orders, the federal government and its ministries forwarded a form to all the divisions and its attached departments seeking information not only about the officers with dual nationalities, but also about their spouses and other family members.

The next hearing into the case would be held on March 26 where all the departments will be submitting a combined report about the total number of civil servants in bureaucracy and would likely pass a judgment about the future of such cases.

After the media frenzy over the appearance of names of some officials of the Ministry of Interior, its minister Ahsan Iqbal had issued a short press release directing the staff that those holding “sensitive positions” and having dual nationalities would be removed from their positions.

Ministry’s Additional Secretary Sher Afghan Khan holds a second nationality of the US.



An official of the ministry confirmed that there were some other senior officers in the ministry holding dual nationalities and details of it have been submitted to the Establishment Division. “Probably we will look which way it blows as the apex court’s decision will be the torchbearer for us,” said the official.

No bar

Currently there is no provision in the Civil Servants Act 1973 over possessing dual nationality, but there have been efforts in 2011, 2012 and 2013 by lawmakers in parliament to amend the act for the said purpose.

All such bills have only come from parliamentarians from opposition parties. In one such amendment bill in 2013, former senator Sughra Imam had sought to bar civil servants of Grade 20 and above from promotions.

The issue of dual nationalities has created quite a stir since the apex court has taken notice of it as right after the Senate elections it had stopped issuance of their winning notification to check for dual nationality but later allowed it. Now they have been told to submit affidavits with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) whether they are holding a second nationality.