PAKISTAN
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered Federal and Provincial Governments to set deadlines for Public Servants with dual nationalities to give up either their job or their second nationality.
The Court said Governments should no longer appoint dual nationals to positions related to national security to safeguard the country’s security interests.
A two-member Bench of the Supreme Court announced the verdict in a case initiated by the Court in January last year on the issue of dual nationals occupying sensitive posts.
It told Federal and Provincial Governments to legislate and take necessary measures to remove dual nationals.
It also warned that failure to relinquish the second nationality by Government employees within the stipulated time should result in legal action.
“We cannot lose sight of the fact that divided loyalty does not necessarily mean disloyalty to Pakistan … nonetheless, a real concern as raised by the opponents of dual nationality is that of divided loyalties leading to potential national security risks,” the verdict stated.
“It is in light of both the advantages and disadvantages of dual nationality that leads us to consider the adoption of a balanced approach where certain important positions in Government service and public offices where indeed complete and undivided loyalty to Pakistan is required ought to be restricted to those who are citizens of Pakistan only.”
The Court said Government employees who held foreign nationalities during the course of their employment were “a threat to the interests of the country”.
It left open a window to engage dual-national or non-Pakistanis by saying they could be employed with the permission of the Cabinet if necessary.
A report compiled by the Government in March showed that at least 213 PS employees in Federal and Provincial Government Departments were dual nationals.
Islamabad, 9 January 2019
