Arguments for and against
The Supreme Court’s suspension of Farahnaz Ispahani’s membership of parliament on the basis of her dual-nationality has stirred up the all-too familiar feeling of persecution of the ruling party.
But that is far from the truth. For one thing, it is not only the ruling party that has a thing or two to say about the issue but many other parties as well. For having dual-national members is not something restricted to the PPP alone. Hypernationalist parties like the PTI have also, recently, made a case against disbarring such individuals from contesting the polls.
The argument that these parties give is understandable but ultimately flawed. They treat overseas Pakistanis as assets, which they undoubtedly are. They also explain how it would be difficult to be very successful abroad, as a number of them are, without being nationals of these newer countries. Not allowing these people to contest the polls would be tantamount to disenfranchising this valued demographic.
Well, let’s not throw words around. Disenfranchisement would not be giving them the right to vote – though there is a case against that as well. Here, it is an issue of whether these individuals have the right to be representatives.
There can be a varying number of issues here. For instance, in the constitution, an MP hopeful need not be a resident of a constituency to contest elections from there; his/her proposer and seconder need to be. Why, then, should a candidate who actually lives in a constituency but happens to have the nationality of another country be disbarred?
The answers to these questions lie in deep rooted ideas of who qualifies as a committed and loyal citizen of the Republic. At the time of acquiring a new nationality, a foreign national renounces, in a manner of speaking, his original nationality. That doesn’t sit well with those seeking a sincere leadership for the country. If, in the art of the possible, candidates can’t be bothered enough to change nationalities, they could scarcely be expected to sit through in a country when the going gets really tough.