Sail-less: Dual nationality bill likely to stay on the shelf

Without ANP support, govt forced to remove bill from agenda of today’s Senate session.

ISLAMABAD:

The government, it seems, has been forced to backtrack on the 22nd Amendment Bill – better known as the dual nationality bill – after failing to muster enough support from its coalition partners.

The Awami National Party (ANP), a key ally of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government, refused to support the bill. The government left the bill out of the agenda at today’s session of the Senate due to a lack of the required numeric strength in the house.

The bill, which paves the way for dual nationals to become members of parliament, was deferred during the last session as well.

“We will oppose the dual nationality bill until the government assures us of introducing the 23rd and 24th amendments,” said ANP Senator Zahid Khan.

During the last session, the PPP included the 23rd amendment in the agenda on the ANP’s demand but could not table it as it failed to even muster support for the 22nd Amendment Bill.

“My party has conveyed its concerns over the dual nationality bill to the government. We proposed two new bills to resolve the issue amicably,” Senator Khan said.

The government has been having a hard time winning a two-thirds majority (69 out of 104 votes) in the Senate in order to pass the 22nd Amendment. According to a PPP senator, there is “severe resentment” among PPP senators, who are 39 in number, over the issue.

“The PPP is only doing all this to please the MQM – the only party that favours the dual nationality bill,” said the senator, who chose not to be named.

On the other hand, PPP Senator Saeeda Iqbal claimed that her party had won the support of 71 senators and would get the dual nationality bill passed in the upcoming Senate session.

Regarding the delay, she said the PPP always believed in going ahead with complete consensus on all legislative business.



Wednesday’s session

The government has skipped the 22nd and 23rd amendments, and has, instead, added the Trade Organisation Bill, 2012, for legislative business, according to Wednesday’s (today) orders of the day, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune. 

According to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Zaffar Ali Shah, however, it is obligatory for the government to forward the deferred bills first before introducing new ones.

“The PML-N will oppose the 22nd amendment tooth and nail in both houses of parliament,” Senator Shah said.

23rd and 24th amendment bills

Interestingly, last month, the government included the 23rd amendment on the Senate’s agenda at the behest of ANP. The amendment seeks a bar on civil servants from holding dual nationalities.

“Government servants in BPS-20 or equivalent and above … shall not hold dual nationality or citizenship of a foreign country,” reads the one-page bill, which is yet to be tabled in the upper house of parliament.

The ANP has also handed over the 24th amendment to the government, which seeks to bar judges from holding dual nationalities.

“It is necessary for the judges of lower and superior courts to not hold nationality or citizenship of any foreign country,” said Senator Zahid Khan. The ANP is said to have handed over the proposed bill to Law Minister Farooq H Naek last week.

However, Law Secretary Yasmin Abbasi remained clueless about the move. “This (the plan to introduce the 24th Amendment) is not in my knowledge,” she told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2012.