ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) gave bureaucrats a ‘final chance’ to come clean on possessing dual nationality.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was informed by the Establishment secretary that only 204 of 33, 000 officers had admitted to being dual nationals. Expressing surprise over the data, the bench summoned Nadra authorities to help track such bureaucrats.
In an earlier hearing, the SC had sought details over the issue from chief secretaries, the attorney and the advocate general. During the hearing on February 14, the CJP himself read out apex court and high court registrars’ reports, wherein it was stated that no official of the Supreme Court happened to be a dual national.
The bench had expressed concern over the submission of the interim report by the Establishment secretary. Deputy Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti submitted the report which identified only a few officials as holding dual citizenship.
At present, judges are not barred from holding dual nationality. However, when the top court disqualified dozens of parliamentarians for being dual nationals during the tenure of erstwhile chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, members of parliament campaigned for a similar ban to be imposed on the members of the judiciary.
Top court directs Sindh govt to trace fugitive Rao Anwar’s travel history
In the course of the hearing, the CJP asked whether the authorities had examined fugitive Malir SSP Rao Anwar’s dual nationality. Justice Nisar asked if the Karachi police officer travel record had been checked, to which the Establishment secretary replied that it came under the jurisdiction of the provincial government.
Upon inquiry, the Attorney General Sindh relied to the court that he was unaware about Anwar’s dual nationality.
The chief justice remarked that the Sindh government should have checked Anwar’s travel history. The top court proceeded to summon Foreign Secretary, Director-General Nadra, Director-General Immigration, Director-General Passport and other provincial secretaries. The hearing has been adjourned till March 4.
