A.Rafay
ELITE MEMBER
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ISLAMABAD: As the final date (Nov 30) of submission of affidavits on dual nationality draws nearer, to the surprise of its own allies and the opposition, the government in the Senate Monday managed to table a House Standing Committee report on the draft bill, allowing dual nationals to run for the legislatures amid PML-N walk-out.
The 22nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2012 aims at substituting the paragraph of Clause (1) of Article 63 of the Constitution with: he ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan or has acquired the citizenship of a foreign country except a state with which the federal government has a dual nationality arrangement under the law before or after the commencement of the constitutional 22nd Amendment Act, 2012.
The draft bill, that will come into force at once, shall give constitutional cover to those, who are or would be members of parliament or a provincial assembly in future, also having another countrys passport. There are around 16 countries including the United States with which Pakistan has signed dual nationality agreement.
The move is perceived to protect around 40 lawmakers (mostly belonging to PPP and MQM) from disqualification for having dual nationality. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as per the Supreme Court direction, asked around 1,170 legislators to submit fresh affidavits on their nationality. November 09 was the last date for the purpose, but it was extended to November 30 afterwards.
Surprisingly, the laying of the report was not part of the 10-item orders of the day, as PML-Ns senior leader Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah was on his feet as the Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari gave floor to the Chairman of House Committee on Law and Justice Muhammad Kazim Khan to present the report.
I am surprised and concerned that the committee met just once and failed to evolve consensus on the bill. And the bill cleared by the committee today is different from the one referred to it by the Senate, claimed the senator from Islamabad, who is also a lawyer and put a dissenting note on the report. He termed this as unprecedented in the history of world parliaments.
He urged the chairman to intervene in the matter for the government had withdrawn the original bill and then a new one was discussed by the committee and then cleared. The senator also questioned as to why media was not allowed to attend the committees proceedings.
The senator also questioned the reason behind the governments urgency in presenting the report that too on a private members day.
However, a very vocal opponent of giving dual nationality holders to run in general election and PPPs key ally-Awami National Party-showed not much concern over the unexpected development and just raised objection to presenting the report on a private members day.
ANPs Haji Muhammad Adeel wanted to know whether there was some emergency that the government wanted to present the report this way and asserted if this kind of dictatorship was to be shown in the House then why not Pervez Musharraf be allowed to return.
Earlier, MQMs Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi condemned the silence of the majority of the Muslim nations and the OIC on what he called the genocide of innocent Palestinians. He urged the House to adopt a condemnation resolution against the Israeli aggression on the Palestinians. He alleged the Arabs stood divided and mostly subjugated by the US.
Govt
The 22nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2012 aims at substituting the paragraph of Clause (1) of Article 63 of the Constitution with: he ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan or has acquired the citizenship of a foreign country except a state with which the federal government has a dual nationality arrangement under the law before or after the commencement of the constitutional 22nd Amendment Act, 2012.
The draft bill, that will come into force at once, shall give constitutional cover to those, who are or would be members of parliament or a provincial assembly in future, also having another countrys passport. There are around 16 countries including the United States with which Pakistan has signed dual nationality agreement.
The move is perceived to protect around 40 lawmakers (mostly belonging to PPP and MQM) from disqualification for having dual nationality. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as per the Supreme Court direction, asked around 1,170 legislators to submit fresh affidavits on their nationality. November 09 was the last date for the purpose, but it was extended to November 30 afterwards.
Surprisingly, the laying of the report was not part of the 10-item orders of the day, as PML-Ns senior leader Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah was on his feet as the Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari gave floor to the Chairman of House Committee on Law and Justice Muhammad Kazim Khan to present the report.
I am surprised and concerned that the committee met just once and failed to evolve consensus on the bill. And the bill cleared by the committee today is different from the one referred to it by the Senate, claimed the senator from Islamabad, who is also a lawyer and put a dissenting note on the report. He termed this as unprecedented in the history of world parliaments.
He urged the chairman to intervene in the matter for the government had withdrawn the original bill and then a new one was discussed by the committee and then cleared. The senator also questioned as to why media was not allowed to attend the committees proceedings.
The senator also questioned the reason behind the governments urgency in presenting the report that too on a private members day.
However, a very vocal opponent of giving dual nationality holders to run in general election and PPPs key ally-Awami National Party-showed not much concern over the unexpected development and just raised objection to presenting the report on a private members day.
ANPs Haji Muhammad Adeel wanted to know whether there was some emergency that the government wanted to present the report this way and asserted if this kind of dictatorship was to be shown in the House then why not Pervez Musharraf be allowed to return.
Earlier, MQMs Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi condemned the silence of the majority of the Muslim nations and the OIC on what he called the genocide of innocent Palestinians. He urged the House to adopt a condemnation resolution against the Israeli aggression on the Palestinians. He alleged the Arabs stood divided and mostly subjugated by the US.
Govt
