Lawmakers question dual citizenship policies for bureaucrats in Pakistan

Lawmakers in Pakistan raised concerns about inconsistencies in dual citizenship policies on Monday, questioning why bureaucrats and government officers are permitted to hold dual nationality while it remains prohibited for politicians and judges.

The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Interior was convened under the chairmanship of Khurram Nawaz, a National Assembly member from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The meeting's agenda focused on proposed legislation regarding the issuance of Pakistani passports to citizens of countries that have dual citizenship agreements with Pakistan.

Agha Rafiullah, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker and government ally, inquired about the number of Pakistanis who hold or have renounced dual citizenship. He also inquired whether NADRA maintains records of countries where Pakistanis possess dual citizenship.

Rafiullah then criticized what he perceived as preferential treatment in dual citizenship regulations. "Why was the dual citizenship rule relaxed to benefit a single individual?" he demanded, referring to an incident from the previous year when exceptions were made to allow someone with dual citizenship to obtain a high-ranking position.

In a related matter concerning institutional verification processes, Rafiullah referenced a past case involving the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman's credentials. During that investigation, the degrees of 45,000 students from Al-Khair University required authentication.

Another PPP lawmaker, Abdul Qadir Patel, revealed that 22,000 bureaucrats, including 99 percent of federal secretaries, possess dual citizenship, while politicians are denied this right on national security grounds.

He questioned the logic behind barring politicians from holding dual citizenship while allowing bureaucrats, who handle sensitive documents, to do so. "What secrets do politicians possess? Their lives are already in the public domain," he remarked.

PPP legislator Nabeel Gabol strongly criticized those who have renounced their Pakistani citizenship. "When people surrender their Pakistani nationality, it's a disgrace to the country," he stated, opposing measures that would allow passport issuance to those who have given up their citizenship.

However, PML-N's Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry offered a different perspective, defending the bill by stating, "Renouncing citizenship abroad does not dishonor the country." He pointed out that those who have actually defamed Pakistan overseas have had their passports canceled.

Further consultation suggested

To gather more information, Gabol suggested inviting Foreign Office officials to the next meeting to provide detailed information about dual citizenship agreements. This suggestion was supported by PTI lawmaker Zartaj Gul, who specifically requested a comprehensive briefing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the dual citizenship proposal.

During the proceedings, the Ministry of Law's representative, Jam Aslam, provided clarity on existing regulations, stating that Pakistan's dual citizenship laws are well-defined.

The committee ended by formally requesting officials from both the Foreign Office and Establishment Division to attend the next meeting.

Furthermore, the committee unanimously approved the Naturalization Act Amendment Bill. Aslam explained that this amendment streamlines the process by allowing relevant authorities to approve certain citizenship-related matters independently, rather than requiring federal or cabinet approval for all decisions—a change implemented following the Mustafa Impex case.