NA starts session after expiry of dual nationality deadline
One-month deadline given by ECP to lawmakers to submit affidavits just expires.
ISLAMABAD:
As lawmakers gather to open the 47th session of the lower house Monday (today), the election commission is also due to huddle earlier in the day to discuss the contentious issue of lawmakers holding dual nationality.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had earlier sent notices to all members of national and provincial assemblies on October 9, giving a one-month deadline to affirm that they did not possess nationalities of countries other than Pakistan, said a senior ECP official.
The NA session is coincidently being held days after the expiry of the deadline by the ECP, which is still waiting to hear from 75 lawmakers.
“It is suspected that 90 per cent of office holders, who have failed to submit declarations, hold dual nationality,” a senior ECP official said while talking to The Express Tribune.
Under the Citizenship Act of 1951, Pakistanis holding multiple nationalities are prohibited from running for public office, contesting elections or joining the military. Eleven lawmakers were disqualified by the Supreme Court on 20th September for not disclosing dual nationality status when taking office.
Responding to a question, the ECP official said, “It is likely that lawmakers will be given an opportunity to appear before the commission to justify their position, since no one can be condemned unheard.” The official added that consequences will not come in the form of mere de-notification from the seat, rather, those who fail to provide satisfactory evidence would be disqualified.
The punishment for hiding dual nationality status while assuming office includes a sentence of up to three years, a fine, or both, said the official. “Even a mere ‘symbolic’ sentence of 30 seconds (as in the case of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani) can disqualify a national or provincial assembly member and bar him/her from contesting future elections.”
On the agenda
The house, according to National Assembly Secretariat, is scheduled to hold a debate on the country’s law and order situation, particularly with reference to Balochistan, Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan.
In addition, the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2012 may also be introduced in the lower house. Today’s session will be the first after the Supreme Court verdict on the Asghar Khan case, which was about the distribution of money among politicians during the 1990 elections and an election cell in the presidency.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2012.
As lawmakers gather to open the 47th session of the lower house Monday (today), the election commission is also due to huddle earlier in the day to discuss the contentious issue of lawmakers holding dual nationality.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had earlier sent notices to all members of national and provincial assemblies on October 9, giving a one-month deadline to affirm that they did not possess nationalities of countries other than Pakistan, said a senior ECP official.
The NA session is coincidently being held days after the expiry of the deadline by the ECP, which is still waiting to hear from 75 lawmakers.
“It is suspected that 90 per cent of office holders, who have failed to submit declarations, hold dual nationality,” a senior ECP official said while talking to The Express Tribune.
Under the Citizenship Act of 1951, Pakistanis holding multiple nationalities are prohibited from running for public office, contesting elections or joining the military. Eleven lawmakers were disqualified by the Supreme Court on 20th September for not disclosing dual nationality status when taking office.
Responding to a question, the ECP official said, “It is likely that lawmakers will be given an opportunity to appear before the commission to justify their position, since no one can be condemned unheard.” The official added that consequences will not come in the form of mere de-notification from the seat, rather, those who fail to provide satisfactory evidence would be disqualified.
The punishment for hiding dual nationality status while assuming office includes a sentence of up to three years, a fine, or both, said the official. “Even a mere ‘symbolic’ sentence of 30 seconds (as in the case of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani) can disqualify a national or provincial assembly member and bar him/her from contesting future elections.”
On the agenda
The house, according to National Assembly Secretariat, is scheduled to hold a debate on the country’s law and order situation, particularly with reference to Balochistan, Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan.
In addition, the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2012 may also be introduced in the lower house. Today’s session will be the first after the Supreme Court verdict on the Asghar Khan case, which was about the distribution of money among politicians during the 1990 elections and an election cell in the presidency.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2012.