Malik denies having ‘list’ of dual national parliamentarians
Interior Ministry spokesperson says Malik does not have any list, nor any such data was collected.
ISLAMABAD:
After the Supreme Court ordered Interior Minister Rehman Malik to reveal names of all those parliamentarians who possessed nationalities of countries other than that of Pakistan, he categorically denied having any such ‘list’.
A spokesperson of ministry of Interior late on Saturday refuted media reports attributed to Malik about dual national parliamentarians and clarified that the minister did not state that he had a definite list of parliamentarians having dual nationality.
The spokesperson added that the minister for interior had responded to a question from a journalist, stating, "I cannot say anything on such data as the information is merely on hear say and hence, I cannot make public such information."
The ministry maintained that neither Malik has got any list of parliamentarians with dual nationality nor any such data has been collected.
The election commission of Pakistan is the highest forum to respond to such queries, added the spokesperson.
Earlier, the Supreme Court wrote a letter to Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday asking him to reveal names of parliamentarians who hold dual nationalities, reported Express News.
The letter was written after news emerged in the media of Malik claiming that he knows about several parliamentarians with dual nationalities. The apex court said that it was Malik’s constitutional responsibility to reveal the names as loyalty to the country is obligatory for every citizen under Article 5 of the Constitution.
After the Supreme Court ordered Interior Minister Rehman Malik to reveal names of all those parliamentarians who possessed nationalities of countries other than that of Pakistan, he categorically denied having any such ‘list’.
A spokesperson of ministry of Interior late on Saturday refuted media reports attributed to Malik about dual national parliamentarians and clarified that the minister did not state that he had a definite list of parliamentarians having dual nationality.
The spokesperson added that the minister for interior had responded to a question from a journalist, stating, "I cannot say anything on such data as the information is merely on hear say and hence, I cannot make public such information."
The ministry maintained that neither Malik has got any list of parliamentarians with dual nationality nor any such data has been collected.
The election commission of Pakistan is the highest forum to respond to such queries, added the spokesperson.
Earlier, the Supreme Court wrote a letter to Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday asking him to reveal names of parliamentarians who hold dual nationalities, reported Express News.
The letter was written after news emerged in the media of Malik claiming that he knows about several parliamentarians with dual nationalities. The apex court said that it was Malik’s constitutional responsibility to reveal the names as loyalty to the country is obligatory for every citizen under Article 5 of the Constitution.