Dual loyalties

Pakistanis are incapable of ruling themselves. We are meant to be ruled by foreign masters. That is the only takeaway from the PTI’s decision to try and allow foreigners to run in Pakistani elections. After all the pomp and show about the highest taxpayers in parliament, we will have millionaires and billionaires who have never paid a paisa into the Pakistani tax system making rules for us. But then, we allow the IMF to influence our financial policy and Arabs to influence our foreign policy, so perhaps it is fitting that we cut out the middleman and just let foreigners make all of our policies. Such a move would also be an insult to everything that the state became independent for – to give the people the right to govern themselves. Did we leave the yoke of the British Empire only to allow a new kind of Briton to govern us?

Allowing dual nationals to contest elections would require a constitutional amendment i.e. a two-thirds majority vote which in turn would require some serious deal-making with the opposition – something that the PTI has struggled with thus far. Still, the PM has apparently set up a committee with representation from the ministries of foreign affairs, interior, parliamentary affairs, and overseas Pakistanis to suggest how to remove hurdles in the path of dual nationals who want to become legislators. A pity that government resources are being wasted on currying favour with foreigners rather than working for the benefit of Pakistanis.

Wanting to put dual nationals in parliament is not new for the PTI. As early as 2011, Imran is on record calling for dual nationals to be allowed to contest the polls. But why? It is not as if people aren’t allowed to work abroad without becoming dual nationals. Millions of people around the world go to work in other countries on visas and refuse to take up another nationality, even when it is in their economic interest. These people have faith in their home countries and, it may be inferred, an implicit desire to come back home. Would we want someone who lost faith in the country to come back and start governing it?

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.