758 bureaucrats are dual nationals, SC told

FIA report says 147 officials tried to conceal their nationality status

ISLAMABAD: As many as 758 government officials hold dual nationality, says a report presented in the Supreme Court by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

According to the report, of these 758 civil servants, 611 have declared their dual nationalities while 147 have concealed their dual national status which has been detected through different means. Of those concealing their dual national status, 59 are serving in federal government departments and 88 in provincial ones.

The report was submitted to the top court on Monday by FIA Director General Bashir Memon during the hearing of a suo motu case on the dual nationalities of civil servants and judges. Additional Attorney General Nayyar Rizvi was also present at the hearing for the court’s assistance.

The report reveals that spouses of 824 officials are dual nationals, with 614 officials declaring the same and 210 officials concealing it. Moreover, the spouses of 98 officials are foreign nationals, and 21 officials had concealed the very fact.



According to the report, out of 119 Supreme Court officials, one has a spouse who is a declared dual national. Official sources claim that to be the spouse of an SC judge, who himself only holds Pakistani nationality. Six foreign nationals are working in different departments and five of them have declared themselves as such.

The report says that the total strength of federal and provincial government officials is 172,840, of which 405 federal and 206 provincial officials are declared dual nationals while 59 federal and 88 provincial government officials have concealed their dual nationality.

Of the 147 officials who have concealed their dual national status, the Aviation Division has the highest number at 22. Moreover, two dual national s are working in the National Accountability Bureau.

About the Punjab government, the report says that out of 60,718 officials, 186 are dual nationals, 222 are dual nationals married to dual nationals, and 113 are only Pakistani nationals with dual national spouses.

The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, has issued notices to all 147 bureaucrats who concealed their dual nationalities as well as those whose spouses are dual or foreign nationals.

The court has also sought legal assistance from the attorney general on the issue. The hearing of the case was adjourned till Thursday.

Earlier this month, dissatisfied with a list of only 213 names 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 FIA for submitting details of all officers in grade 17 to22.

The apex court had on January 17 taken a suo motu notice of officers with dual nationalities serving in federal and provincial government departments. One Lahore High Court and one Sindh High Court judge also holding dual nationalities.

Among the 147 officials that did not declare their nationalities, 47 hold UK nationality, 34 have Canadian nationality, and 24 are US nationals.

No bar

There is presently no restriction in the Civil Servants Act, 1973 regarding possession of dual nationality, but there have been efforts by parliamentarians in 2011, 2012 and 2013 to amend the said act.



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.