News
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Around 10pc Punjab lawmakers are dual nationality holders* Intelligence agencies share two lists of dual national lawmakers
* PML-N, PML-Q question their members to ascertain their dual nationality
By Kashif Hussain
LAHORE: Around 10 percent dual nationality holders are sitting on both treasury and opposition benches in the Punjab Assembly.
Intelligence agencies have shared a special report along with a list of 42 legislators having dual nationality with the Punjab government and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, sources informed Daily Times on Tuesday.
The report discussed the current and previous status of the members of the Punjab Assembly. The report also provided details of their Pakistani and foreign nationality of other countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan, sources said, adding that the names and details of MPAs who studied abroad or have businesses in foreign countries are also included in the report.
According to documents available with Daily Times, there are two types of lists — confirmed and unconfirmed. A majority of lawmakers in these lists have nationality of the US, European and Far Eastern countries.
Sources said that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had also asked its members about their nationalities. They said further the party had also asked the same question to its allied party members of Unification Bloc (UB).
On the other hand, the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) had also questioned its members to ascertain their nationalities, but the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has not taken up the issue with its members so far, sources also said.
According to the confirmed list, the names of the lawmakers having dual nationality are: Amna Buttar, Rana Asif Mehmood, Jamil Ashraf, Rana Babar Hussain, Chaudhry Nadeem Khadim, Ashraf Chauhan, Waseem Qadir and Tariq Mehmood Alloana. Several dual nationality cases have also been registered against Rana Asif Mehmood, Jamil Ashraf, Waseem Qadir and Tariq Alloana in the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court. Rana Babar has residential permits of two foreign countries. Details provided by Amna Buttar on her parliamentary profile read that she holds nationalities of both Pakistan and the US. Waseem Qadir, a renowned international hockey umpire, has settled in Norway 22 years ago on a residential permit. A few weeks ago, Nadeem Khadim admitted in the Punjab Assembly that he and Ashraf Chauhan had dual nationality. Chauhan is an orthopedic surgeon and practices in London.
Names included in unconfirmed lists are: Dr Farrukh Javed, Ch Ikhlaq, Dr Tahir Ali Javed, Syed Raza Ali Gilani, Pir Kashif Ali Chishti, Raja Shaukat Aziz Bhatti, Imran Ashraf, Muhammad Yar Hiraj, Tahir Khalil Sindhu, Makhdoom Irtza, Arifa Khalid Pervez, Dr Faiza Asgher, Mian Ghulam Sarwar, Imran Khalid Butt, Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadiri, Shahjahan Ahmed Bhatti, Ali Haider Niazi, Hafiz Nauman, Mohsin Latif, Tariq Mahmood, Shams Haider, Muhammad Hussain Dogar, Fauzia Behram, Muhammad Saeed, Iftikhar Hussain, Razia Jospeh, Musarrat Hassan, Dr Samia Amjad, Zaib Jafar, Humaira Awais Shahid, Zafar Haider, Shahan Malik, Tanveer Aslam Malik, Zafar Sahi and Shehryar Riaz.
Shams Haider, Ghulam Sarwar, Shehryar Riaz, Shahan Malik, Tanveer Aslam Malik, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Arifa Khalid Pervez, Ghulam Sarwar, Tanveer Aslam Malik, Zafar Sahi and Iftikhar Hussain categorically said they did not have dual nationality.
Several legislators opined that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had not asked to submit details in the general elections 2008. They also said neither nomination nor NADRA papers carried a specific column in this regard.
Punjab Assembly Secretary Masood Ahmad Joiya said that they had no information about the dual national MPAs, as the ECP had not sought this information from candidates during last general elections. He said when the Supreme Court asked about members with dual citizenship they told the court that they had no details in this regard.
A few years ago, while amending the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951 the government allowed its citizens to hold nationality of 16 countries – the UK, the US, Canada, France, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk