Divided loyalties at CDA: Five officials admit dual nationality

Senior official says hundred of officers refused to respond when asked.

ISLAMABAD:

At least five CDA officials have dual nationality. The number is almost certainly higher, but these five were the only ones honest enough to respond when asked by senior civic agency officials.

Almost four months ago, a member of the parliament sought details of officers working at the CDA and hold dual nationality.

“Repeated reminders were sent to CDA officers, but a majority of them did not even bother to answer. Only five officers admitted that they are dual nationals,” said a senior CDA officer who wishing not to be named.

Dual nationals include four officers of basic scale 19 and one officer in grade-18. All five are dual Canadian-Pakistani nationals, says the document.

Four officers — Dr Muhammad Fayyaz Lodhi, Muhammad Irfan, Engineer Hafiz Muhammad Ehsanul Haq and Ayaz Ahmed Khan — are working as directors in grade-19 in different wings of the authority, while deputy director Ashfaq Ahmed Memon is at a grade-18 post.

Memon retired from the CDA last month, the official informed.

On February 19, the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice approved a constitutional amendment bill aimed at barring government officials, judges and armed forces officials from hold dual nationality.

The bill was jointly-moved by PPP senators Sughra Imam and Raza Rabbani.

The bill, if passed, would amendment Article 240 of the Constitution of Pakistan and would ban anyone falling into the three categories from holding dual nationality.

The amendment says, “A person in the Service of Pakistan shall not hold dual nationality or citizenship of any foreign country.” The bill still requires approval from both houses of parliament before it can be passed.

At the CDA, it is widely believed that a number of officers hold dual nationalities, but they seem unwilling to admit this after a recent debate over the issue started following disqualification of several parliamentarians holding dual nationality. Senator Imam told The Express Tribune that the bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Committee on Law and Justice.

She also questioned how government officials could acquire dual nationality in the first place, as it would either require a long stay in a foreign country, a large monetary investment in that country, or rendering of some special services for that country.

Imam said a dual national government servant cannot be faithful to two different countries at the same time. “The law must be equal for all, as currently only MPs are barred from holding dual nationality,” she added.

She viewed dual nationality as an instrument of colonial powers to exert influence in decision making of other countries. She said many countries including India did not allow civil servants to be dual nationals.

When asked about the odds that the bill would get approval in both houses, Imam said, “Senator Rabbani and I moved it…thinking of it as our responsibility as legislators. Hopefully, it will get through.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2015.