Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill: Senate bill seeks to place bar on dual-national bureaucrats

The bill is proposed to ensure senior civil servants have stakes in the country.

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate on Monday unanimously passed ‘The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2013, aimed at barring the civil servants of BPS-20 and above to hold a dual nationality.

The bill, moved by Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, provides to further amend the Civil Servants Act‚ 1973.

The draft bill was earlier passed by Senate Committee on Cabinet Division and Capital Administration and Development, which referred it to the upper house. The bill will now be tabled before the National Assembly, following whose approval and the signature of president, it will become an Act.

As per the amendment in the Civil Servant Act, 1973, the civil servants holding dual nationality or citizenship of any other country shall not be eligible for promotion to posts in Basic Pay Scale 20 or above and equivalent.

The bill was proposed with the objective that senior civil bureaucracy must have their stakes in the country where they hold positions of power, privilege and trust.



The senate committee after detailed deliberations unanimously passed this private member’s bill with the addition: “until and unless he/she renounces the citizenship of foreign country”.

However, Cabinet Secretariat and Establishment Division minister in-charge was of the view that the said condition should not apply rather all the government servants should fall in the ambit of the said amendment bill.

Other businesses

The house deferred a resolution moved by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar seeking details as to whether the sitting judges of the superior judiciary held multiple nationalities.

The resolution was deferred on the request of Minister for Law and Justice Pervaiz Rashid who said he would once again ask the judiciary to provide details about the judges whether any of them held dual nationality.

Earlier, the judiciary had not provided the details in response to a question submitted by a senator in the house on the ground that any law did not bar the judiciary to hold more than one nationality and there was no question to provide any detail in this regard. The minister said he would also consult Ministry of Law as to which path should be adopted in this regard.

The house unanimously passed a resolution recommending the government to take immediate steps for construction of new water reservoirs in order to meet shortage of water in the country.

The resolution was moved by Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi. The chair said he would send the report to the concerned division and seek a progress report in two months.

The Senate also passed a resolution moved by Mian Raza Rabbani. The resolution expressed grave concern and anxiety over the increasing incidents of rape‚ particularly of minor girls in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2013.