Barring dual nationals from government jobs: New developments reported from LHC
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*LAHORE - New developments have been reported in the case of dual nationals holding government jobs in Pakistan.*
*A petition was filed on Friday in the Lahore High Court (LHC) pertaining to barring dual nationals from holding government jobs. *
The petition, filed by Dr. Adeel Anwar – a Pakistani-British , stated that Pakistani citizens holding dual nationality have the right to vote, invest, marry and start business in Pakistan, whereas the move of not allowing them for government posts was an act of discrimination.
“As per the constitution, discriminatory behavior cannot be adopted for any individual of the state”, the petition maintained. “Hence, the decision of refusing government jobs to dual nationals shoould be declared null and void.”
It is pertinent to mention here that last year on December 15, the Supreme court declared that individuals holding dual nationality can not retain top government posts, pointing out that they will either have to choose the government job or their foreign citizenship.
On the same ground, the appointment of Syed Zulfikar Ali Bukhari, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis, had also been challenged. Nevertheless, the apex court allowed Bukhari to serve as a special aide to the PM, clarifying that the top court’s verdict regarding dual nationality is applicable on ministers and does not bar any person from serving as special assistant of the prime minister.
