Dual nationality: LHC disqualifies PML-N MPA Rana Asif

Asif disqualified for holding dual nationalities – Canadian and Pakistani.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday disqualified Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) MPA Rana Asif from holding a seat in the Punjab Assembly while hearing a dual nationality case against him, Express News reported.

Chief Justice (LHC) Umar Ata Bandial was hearing a petition filed by a Lahore-based advocate against Asif for holding dual nationalities – Canadian and Pakistani.

The petitioner had presented relevant record before the court and the hearings were held for the last three months.

Rana Asif’s membership had been suspended on August 3 on the 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.

The minority issue

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.