Earlier, through a short order, the apex court had disqualified around a dozen members of the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies for holding dual nationality.
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, in his response, said that constitutional clauses can only be reinterpreted when their meanings are unclear, absurd or patently unjust. He was responding to a suggestion by Senator Wasim Sajjad - counsel representing Farahnaz Ispahani.
“Since there are no such compelling circumstances in the present case, the plain meaning must prevail. That being so, acquiring foreign citizenship is itself sufficient to earn the disqualification,” he remarked.
In his concurring note, Justice Jawwad S Khwaja stated that the apex court is grateful to its expatriates and clarified that all such citizens are entitled to their constitutional rights which the court would strive to protect.
“The present case does not affect their right to hold dual citizenship. All that has been declared in the present judgment is that dual citizens cannot hold the highest elected offices,” he added.
Read the detailed court order on the dual nationality case here.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ