Judge resigns over dual nationality

Collection of judges’ documents still underway.

KARACHI: An additional district and sessions judge resigned from her post over dual nationality, The Express Tribune has learnt.

This is the first time in Sindh’s judiciary that a judicial officer quit her services following the direction of the Sindh High Court. According to an official, additional district and sessions judge, Farzana Mushtaq, who is a BPS-20 grade officer, has given her resignation since she possessed both Pakistani and Canadian citizenship. Mushtaq was appointed on April 9, 1996.

Her resignation was accepted by the Sindh chief minister, who is a competent authority, with effect from March 7, according to an official notification a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.

The judiciary - which had given the landmark judgment that any person having dual nationality cannot become a member of the parliament - had also decided to look within its own institution for those possessing dual nationalities. All judicial officers in the superior and subordinate courts were asked to submit details as to whether they hold the nationality only of Pakistan or any other country.

An official told The Express Tribune that the registrar of the Sindh High Court had issued forms in January, asking the judicial officers of the high court to furnish details of their nationality. Meanwhile, a member of the high court’s inspection team had also issued similar forms to all the judicial officers in the province through the relevant district and sessions judges.

“The district and sessions judges were directed to provide details of their nationality and submit the forms to the high court through an inspection team member,” the official added. “The forms from other judicial officers are still being processed, but so far only one such case has come up,” he said, referring to Mushtaq’s resignation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2013.