IHC moved against dual national SAPMs

Petitioner wants appointment of four aides declared null and void

ISLAMABAD:

A petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday challenging the appointment of individuals with dual nationality as special assistants to the prime minister.

The petitioner, Justice Party Chairman Malik Munsif Awan, pleaded that the appointment of four SAPMs, who were dual nationals, be declared null and void as somebody who owed their allegiance to another country should not be holding key government positions and making decisions about the country.

It was pointed out that four of the 15 SAPMs were dual nationals. SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari hold a British nationality, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar and SAPM on Power Division and Coordination of Marketing and Development of Mineral Resources Shahzad Syed Qasim are US nationals, and SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus is a Canadian.

The petitioner questioned as to how could people, who had sworn their allegiance to another country, after being appointed to important government positions be expected to have a sincere opinion on the matters of national security, economy and parliamentary affairs.

He pleaded that the court should issue directions for the removal of the four SAPMs from their posts for the sake of national interest as they had access to sensitive information about the country including its nuclear assets.

The petitioner also asked the court to refrain the four SAPMS from working until it had decided the case.

Earlier this month, the government went public with the assets and nationalities of 15 SAPMs – bringing to light that seven of them were either dual nationals or held another country’s permanent residency.

SAPM on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill has US Green Card while SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal holds permanent residency of Canada.

SAPM on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Wasim Yusuf holds permanent residency of the US, which, according to him, he is not availing since his return to Pakistan.

The opposition parties have criticised the PTI-led federal government for appointing these SAPMs despite PM Imran Khan’s stance in the past that such individuals should not run government affairs.

PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman has pointed out that in the past PM Imran had repeatedly opposed government aides, advisers and ministers who had sworn an oath of allegiance to another country.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb has demanded that the prime minister and the SAPMs should resign. She questioned the premier’s move to allow people with dual nationalities to make decisions about the fate of the country.