Supreme Court orders: UoP seeks details of dual national employees

VC denies having US citizenship as ‘witch hunt’ launched to screen dual nationals

PESHAWAR: University of Peshawar (UoP) vice chancellor and many other senior officials are dual nationals making them ineligible for the post, claimed staff members of the varsity.

UoP Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Asif Khan, however, denied the claim that he was a dual national.

According to officials, there was almost a ‘witch hunt’ going on in public sector university following orders issued by the Supreme Court to provide details of judges and senior government officials who are dual nationals.

On January 17, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took suo-motu notice of reports that thousands of senior officials serving in public sector departments and judges possess nationalities of other countries. The top judge had issued orders to departments concerned to provide the names of such people.

Subsequently, following the order of apex court, UoP registrar issued an order on March 16 which directed all deans of faculties, heads of teaching departments, principals of constituent colleges/schools and administrative heads to provide the required information regarding their nationalities. Furthermore, both a hard and soft copy of an undertaking was also requested within two days for onward submission to the department concerned.

Speaking to The Express Tribune a high official in UoP wishing not to be named confirmed that the university registrar’s office had issued a letter to all departments’ heads and requested the detail of all employees holding BPS-17 and above.

He informed that UoP Vice Chancellor Muhammad Asif Khan is a US resident Green Card holder while other key position holders in various departments also possess different dual nationalities.

He further added that it was mentioned in the letter that specific employees must submit the required details to the registrar’s office as soon as possible so that that they send it further to the concerned department, however, he added that so far the departments have failed to provide any of the required details of dual nationals.

On the contrary, UoP Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Asif Khan talking to The Express Tribune denied having a dual nationality. Dr Asif said his children are living US and for that reason they applied for a US Green Card. As for himself, he stated that Pakistan is his only country of citizenship and he aims to serve it for its prosperity and progress.

Regarding, the Supreme Court orders he said the matter of collecting details of dual national staff members was in process and these would be sent to the department concerned in due course of time. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2018.