ZULFIQAR AHMAD

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has given 10-day amnesty to government baboos to voluntarily reveal their dual nationality; otherwise, strict action will be taken against those possessing foreign citizenship.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar resumed hearing of a suo motu case on dual nationalities of bureaucrats from grade-17 and above.

The Chief Justice maintained that some government officers are yet to reveal their foreign citizenships despite court orders, which will land them into hot waters, and they are being given one last chance.

He made it crystal clear if the officers holding dual nationality reveal their citizenship within 10 day, no action will be taken against them but if any officer fails to comply with the court’s orders within the given time, he/she will be in trouble.

The court issued notices to secretary Foreign Affairs, chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), director general Immigration and Passports, and provincial secretaries of Services and General Administration as the Secretary Establishment Division Maroof Afzal suggested that these persons can also provide information about the dual nationality of the officers of grade-17 and above in the federal and provincial governments.

Afzal informed the court that out of 33,000 officers, 204 possess dual nationalities. He told the court that out of 868 Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officers, 853 have provided information about their nationality.

Similarly, in Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), there are 828 officers of them two namely Tanvir Ahmed Tahir and Fida Hussain Shah have not yet submitted their reports as they are in the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

He told the court that in the Office Management Group, there are 469 officers and 455 have submitted reports about their nationality and 14 have not responded yet. Similarly, in Secretariat Office Management Group, out of 483 only one person has not responded to their queries about dual citizenship.

The Chief Justice inquired what mechanism can be adopted if some officer is not revealing his dual nationality. “Those people who have not yet given their declaration regarding their status of dual citizenship and conceal the facts then it would be an injustice if we cannot do anything in this regard,” he remarked.

The Chief Justice observed that it is not in the interest of Pakistan that the officers who are posted on highly sensitive posts hold dual citizenship.

Additional Advocate General Sindh Shehryar told that the provincial government does not have information whether suspended SSP Malir Rao Anwar has dual national or not. He also failed to provide information how many times he went abroad. The Chief Justice admonishing him directed to submit the report on Anwar in the next hearing.

A member of the bench Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that person who visits once a year means he must be having a citizenship of that country or may be his application for the citizenship is in process.

The court directed the Sindh advocate general to check how many times suspended Anwar, an absconding accused in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case, traveled abroad.

The haring of the case was adjourned till Monday.