SC allows ECP to issue notification of senators-elect
Shares
LAHORE:The Supreme Court Saturday allowed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to issue notification of senators-elect, withheld on its earlier orders.
The three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, passed the interim order while hearing a suo motu notice regarding dual nationality of judges and civil servants.
The court held that a larger bench would hear the matter of parliamentarians' dual nationality, separately in future and decide whether a person becomes permanently disqualified on acquiring foreign nationality under Article 63 (1)(C) of the Constitution, besides issuing notices to the parties.
It observed that it was important to decide whether disqualification under 63(1)(C) was permanent, or it could be revoked after a person surrenders its foreign nationality.
Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf and amicus curiae Bilal Minto assisted the bench during the proceedings and submitted that the court should review the matter in accordance with the laws of the country.
Senators-elect Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Sadia Abbasi and Nuzhat Sadiq appeared in person along with their counsel and submitted that they had surrendered their foreign nationalities.
Barrister Ali Zafar represented Haroon Akhtar and sought time for filing a concise statement.
Another newly-elected Senator Khalid Shaheen Butt also appeared before the bench in person and apprised that he never acquired any foreign nationality. The bench was also apprised that Senator-elect Khuda Babar was a resident of Gawadar, which was once under the control of Oman, but he had never obtained nationality of the United Kingdom or the United States.
It is pertinent to mention that the SC had restrained the ECP from issuing notifications of senators-elect,
including Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Sadia Abbasi, Nuzhat Sadiq and Haroon Akhtar. APP/AFP
