SC orders Rehman Malik to submit list of dual nationality holders by tomorrow

Supreme Court restores PML-N MPA Waseem Qadir's Punjab Assembly membership, disqualifies PML-Q's Shahnaz Sheikh.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court, hearing the dual nationality case on Wednesday, ordered Interior Minister Rehman Malik to submit a list of parliamentarians and legislators with dual nationalities by Thursday.

During the hearing, the court also disqualified Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) MNA Shahnaz Sheikh.

Sheikh’s counsel Advocate Munir Paracha informed the court that his client had Australian citizenship but she had voluntarily retired from the National Assembly seat on September 17, 2012. The counsel also presented the notifications of acceptance of Sheikh’s resignation.

The court, however, observed that Sheikh should be treated at par with parliamentarians and legislators who were earlier disqualified. The court ordered the NA secretariat and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take necessary action.

The court also decided to discharge notices against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Capt (retd) Ghulam Mujtaba Rai when it found that he had renounced his Canadian nationality before filing nomination papers to participate in the 2008 general elections.

The court noted that before filing the nomination papers in 2008, he had applied for renouncing his Canadian nationality on January 29, 2007 which was allowed on May 31, 2007 with effect from May 25, 2007.

'Never claimed having proof of Shahbaz Sharif’s dual nationality'

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that he had never claimed to have proof of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s dual nationality, reported Express News.

The Supreme Court, while hearing the dual nationality case, read out Riaz’s earlier statements published in several newspapers in which he had claimed that there were reports of Sharif holding dual nationality.

The opposition leader said that he had not claimed of having any proof. “I had only said that there were news about it and the relevant institution should look into the matter,” he said.

The court remarked that the post of opposition leader is an important one and Riaz should have clarified his statement before he appeared before the bench.

Sharif’s counsel Naseer Bhutta said that he trusts Riaz and therefore, the hearing should be dismissed.

PML-N MPA's assembly membership restored

The Supreme Court, ruling that Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Punjab Waseem Qadir does not hold dual-nationality, restored his membership in the Punjab assembly, Express News reported on Wednesday.

MPA Qadir, the court ruled, possesses a certificate for permanent residence in Norway, hence he was not a dual national.

Directives in this regard have also been issued to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

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.

In the detailed order on the case, the court had said that a person who ceases to be the citizen of Pakistan or acquires citizenship of another country should be disqualified from the membership of parliamentand senate, but no such legal bar was placed on other constitutional office holders.