ISLAMABAD: The government came under scathing criticism in the Senate Monday over giving key positions to dual nationality, residency holders in the government, as the opposition alleged Pakistan’s ‘national interests had been compromised by doing so’.
The House, which resumed proceedings after two-day break, with Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani in the chair, also saw opposition senators storming out to protest, the government’s opposition’s blocking a constitutional amendment bill for setting up ten more high court benches in the provinces for speedy and cheap dispensation of justice.
Opposition senators accused the government of running away from its own promise of provision of speedy and cheap justice and agreeing to support the PML-N Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi’s constitutional amendment bill in the committee but then backing out. However, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said that the bill be sent back to the committee for refining and evolving consensus on it.
However, with unanimity, the Senate passed with a two-thirds majority, a constitutional bill, moved by 17 senators, both from the treasury and opposition benches for increasing the Balochistan Assembly seats from 65 to 80 seats. According to the amendment to Article 106, the general seats in Balochistan Assembly will be increased to 64 from 51, Women seats to 13 from 11 while seats for Non-Muslims to remain 3 and no change to made in it.
Former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani rose to insist that there was no provision in the Constitution for a special assistant to sit in the cabinet and take decisions. He continued that a special assistant could only be appointed as per the rules and not under statute; and could be specially invited to a Cabinet meeting for specific agenda and would leave then.
He raised alarmed bells about the special assistants, having dual nationality of residency and read out a related portion from the British Constitution: those who acquire British citizenship are required to take an oath at the time of acquiring the citizenship, which reads, “I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfill my duties and obligations as a British citizen”.
Rabbani pointed out that for the United States of America, the oath was even more dangerous and it reads, “I hereby declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of who or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies…that I will bear arms on behalf of the government of US when required by the law”.
“A question arises that a person who can’t vote or be elected a member of the Parliament…how can he sit in the Cabinet meetings and take decisions for the people of Pakistan. How can special assistants head ministries when they are not answerable to the Parliament under Article 91 (6) of the Constitution,” he asserted.
Reading out from PLD, 2019 (the Supreme Court of Pakistan), he said, “dual nationality that leads us to consider the adoption of a balanced approach where certain positions in government service and public offices where indeed complete and undivided loyalty to Pakistan is required, ought to be restricted to those who are citizens of Pakistan only”.
Referring to the special assistants to PM (SAPMs), Rabbani said that keeping in view their background one could see patronage to crony capitalists, conflict of interest with reference to their financial empires and divided loyalties. “All major portfolios are under dual nationals, namely; petroleum, overseas Pakistanis, Power and Digital Pakistan. SAPM on National Security has a long residency in US. His appointment to such a sensitive position with regards to defence and other related matters raises serious questions,” he said.
Rabbani said Pakistan had been outsourced financially to IMF, the World Bank and international financial imperialists and secondly to persons of dual nationality residence and having huge financial empires across the globe. “It seems Pakistan has become a client state of the world establishment and its sovereignty has been compromised,” he said.
Earlier, PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate, Senate Sherry Rehman rose to say that four special assistants had dual citizenship. “I am talking about those, who had left everything behind to return to Pakistan. I myself without having been asked returned my UK residency. And at the same time, we appreciate the role of overseas Pakistan,” she noted.
She said that there was an army of 19 advisors and SAPMs in this government but at the movement their performance was not being debated. “What is the moral justification in taking oath of two countries and then sit in sensitive ministries and attend key meetings while members of the Parliament can be disqualified for lifetime. But they are privatizing Pakistan’s assets; Roosevelt, PTCD and others are being privatized. You may be having citizenship of that country. We don’t know,” she said.
Senator Sherry asserted that governments could not be run this way and added there was a clear and straight conflict of interests and it was a matter of shame for a party which kept repeatedly talking against induction of those having dual nationality and even Imran Khan had said it again and again in public meetings.
Senator Sherry also talked about the privilege motion against the Ministry for Aviation for not providing information to them during the concerned House committee meeting deliberations. She noted a clear contradiction between what the minister had been saying about PIA pilots and the division secretary, who also headed CAA. Denial of information, she noted, was a breach of the members of the Parliament and also violation of right to information.
Leader of the House Senator Dr Shahzad Waseem said that it was a good tradition of disclosing the assets of advisors and SAPMs in line with the PTI manifesto and part of transparency. He wished this tradition should continue in future.
When Imran Khan formed the core committee before the government, he also asked its members to declare their assets and a question was raised about Imran Khan's assets, he faced it even though he did not hold public office and also presented his 40-year-old record. “That is why the Supreme Court declared him honest and trustworthy for the first time in Pakistan that a politician has been declared honest and trustworthy by the Supreme Court. While the tradition here is that after ruling for 30 years, the assets are still unknown. The Supreme Court asked to write to the Swiss government. Two prime ministers were sacrificed but the letter was not written,” he noted.
He said, “here, despite being the prime minister of the country, he stayed in Dubai and had their ikama while the defence minister received a salary as well as a residence permit. The head of CPEC also had Saudi ikama”.
He clarified that the prime minister's advisers and special assistants attend the cabinet only on invitation, having no executive role and do not sign any summaries. “Their role is only to give advice and it is the prerogative of the prime minister to consult them. Nowhere does dual citizenship mean that he is not a patriot. Abroad, Pakistanis have an unparalleled passion for the country.
Committee considered the bill in multiple meetings and also held public hearings in Karachi and Quetta. PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan came hard on the government for not taking to task the wrong-doers in the government departments and alleged all the mafias were having a free hand to loot and plunder the public. He claimed that Roosevelt would be rebuilt and then sold while the government had declared on the floor of the Parliament that the hotel would not be privatized and then at the same time had appointed a financial advisor. He asserted not to let the government do privatization of the hotel.
He also raised questions on the value of assets declared by the special assistants and advisors and noted that 30-35 acres of land in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan was of worth Rs5 million and a land cruiser, valuing at over Rs30 million was shown having value of Rs3 million. “Friendships are being made and PIA and other assets are being sold to them,” he charged.
