PPP leaders oppose Dual-Nationality amendment bill
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012 3:46:31 by Faisal Farooq
Senator Raza Rabbani and Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, the senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) expressed resentment over the dual-nationality amendment bill introduced in Senate.
It is vital to add here that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Awami National Party (ANP) staged walkouts against the proposed amendment.
Aitzaz Ahsan, the renowned lawyer, said, “Whenever a person becomes a United States (US) citizen, they take an oath which bounds them to be loyal to the country and take part in wars if needed”.
Raising a question, he said why the United States listed was listed among 16 countries Pakistan had an agreement with if it had such clauses in oath.
Seconding the views of Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Raza Rabbani rejected the bill saying that it must be reviewed.
Earlier, Senator Haji Adeel of the ANP had moved a privilege motion against the 22nd Constitutional Amendment pertaining to the dual nationality bill. He argued that how could 22nd Amendment come into place in the absence of 21st Amendment.
Federal Law Minister Farooq H Naik replying to the query said that the contempt of court bill, which was passed in the National Assembly on Monday, was actually the 21st Constitutional Amendment.
Haji Adeel was of the opinion that the wordings of the bill presented in the Senate was contradictory to what had been discussed in ANP’s meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari and the coalition partners.
He noted, “During the meeting, consensus was reached on ANP proposed amendments to the bill drafts that a dual national cannot hold any important public office, including the offices of the president and prime minister, key posts in the military, judiciary, bureaucracy and other sensitive departments”.
In order to fortify his claim, the law minister presented the bill in the Senate and referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice.
It is vital to mention here that the proposed amendment in Article 63 (1) (c) will allow the parliamentarians to hold dual nationalities for 16 countries with which Pakistan is in agreement with.
Opposition party PML-N also seconded the ANP’s stance saying that previously neither any dictator nor civilian rulers made any attempt to make changes in the said article. The incumbent government, however, intends to amend the Article for their vested interests, he added.
The incumbent coalition government came up with this idea after the apex court disqualified some legislators including former minister Rehman Malik and Farahnaz Ispahani.
Tags: ANP, Farahnaz Ispahani, Farooq H Naik, Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice, PML-N, ppp, President Asif Ali Zardari, Raza Rabbani, Rehman Malik, Senate, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Haji Adeel, Supreme Court, USShort URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=28546
Posted by Faisal Farooq
on Jul 10 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, Politics.
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Sixty Percent of Pakistanis want to leave Pakistan due to poor situation, must be 85% in Karachi, still they are opposing dual nationality bill, oh so that they can rule on the remaning 40% oppressed ?
The only good move by ANP in the past 4 and a half years otherwise ANP is just supporting PPP in every aspect and also they played a vital role in Destroying Railways especially its Cargo Transport so that their Trucking Business will reach to new heights.
Simple anwere to all the drama. Are dual nationals not pakistanies? If they are, then according to pakistan’s constitution they have equal rights.That means they can contest elections.