Dual nationality: LHC to hear petition against Rana Asif on November 16

Asif’s membership was suspended on August 3.

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court has fixed the petition, challenging the Punjab Assembly membership of PML-N MPA Rana Asif, for a hearing on November 16.

Umar Ata Bandial, chief justice Lahore High Court was to hear the petition on October 26 but wouldn’t because of Eid break.

Rana Asif’s membership had been suspended on August 3 on petition of Faisal Ilyas Sadiq. Sadiq’s counsel, Saiful Malook, had pleaded that the court should suspend the membership of Asif as he is a Canadian national. Article 63(1) C bars any person who is a dual nationality holder from representation in any legislature of the country, he said. Asif’s counsel was quick to rebut that Asif was a Canadian citizen but not a Canadian national and therefore under the said article of the constitution could not be disqualified.

Malook had said that the MPA had an overseas identity card which could only be issued if Asif was a foreign country’s passport holder. He had also produced a copy of the card before the court.

Asif’s religious affiliations had also challenged in the court. Malook had alleged that Asif had pretended to be a Christian to be elected to a minority seat. Malook had pointed out that in the overseas identity card Asif had declared himself as a Muslim. He further said that all his children were also Muslims, according to the records at NADRA. Only his wife was registered as a Christian, he had said.

Asif’s counsel had told the court that his client was a Christian. He had said that his client had been mistakenly identified on the overseas identity card as a Muslim.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2012.