ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on Friday called for a blanket ban on all civil servants holding dual nationality, while discussing the Public Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2024, tabled by Dr Afnanullah Khan.
The committee met here under the chairmanship of its chairman, Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan. During the debate, Dr. Afnanullah Khan stated that public servants take an oath of loyalty to the State of Pakistan; Therefore, it would be impossible for any public official to be loyal to two countries.
Senator Saadia Abbasi and other members argued that the ban on dual nationality should apply to all public officials and there should be no exceptions. If there was an exception then it should be for everyone, they added.
Participating in the debate, Senator Saadia Abbasi argued that in countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, citizens can have dual nationality. Surprisingly, he added, a dual national could hold any public office in the United States except the office of president. He urged the government to design a policy in this regard.
Committee members proposed seeking the opinion of the Prime Minister’s Office on the bill. However, Senator Afnanullah Khan suggested that since the bill had already been passed by the National Assembly, there was no need to send it to the government.
Cabinet Division Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal informed the committee that the matter was discussed in the ‘Committee of Secretaries’ and there was no aversion to the issue of dual nationality. However, he stressed that it is difficult for any individual to be loyal to two countries.
