The Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and PML-N Senator Nuzhat Sadiq in a suo motu case concerning civil servants’ holding dual nationality. The court’s decision came after the Foreign Office submitted a report to the court stating that both Sarwar and Sadiq had permanently renounced their foreign nationalities. Holding dual nationality can potentially disqualify lawmakers under Article 63(1)(c) of the Constitution.
The top court had taken up the matter in March, soon after the Senate elections. The chief justice had also inquired about senators who held dual nationality. The court was briefed by the attorney general that four senators, including PTI’s Chaudhry Sarwar, former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s sister Sadia Abbasi, and the PML-N’s Nuzhat Sadiq and Haroon Akhtar, possessed dual nationality.
Published in Daily Times, December 27th 2018.
