No political party, including members of parliament, have a license to compromise state sovereignty just to keep their numbers intact by allowing individuals who have renounced their loyalties to Pakistan and signed an oath pledging all their loyalty to another state to hold public office. As it is, this powerful lobby discriminates against those citizens holding just a Pakistani nationality for promotions and foreign postings. All our political parties, which include PPP, PML(N), PTI, PML(Q), MQM, JUI(F) and ANP who intend to amend, or support such a move, are guilty of denting our sovereignty. Such individuals for whatever reasons they may have, cannot and should never be allowed to hold any public office, whether elected or paid.
Let these individuals desirous of holding public offices renounce their pledges and sign a fresh oath of loyalty to Pakistan, overriding any other pledge that they may have undertaken, prior to being eligible to hold any public office of significance. These sensitive services include all those regular employments which are considered essential services, or are liable to be declared as such, which include service in law enforcement, judiciary, armed forces, civil servants, foreign service, national airline, NADRA, State Bank etc.
We cannot allow Quaid’s Pakistan to become a Banana Republic, where such men plunder or conspire against the state and then depart with their loot, evading any accountability. If Pakistan wants to be an independent, self-respecting sovereign state, it should never allow men with split loyalties, with no stakes to decide the fate of our motherland. Any such move is tantamount to making Pakistan a slave to direct foreign influence through men who have pledged their allegiance to a foreign state. It is against the basic foundations of our constitution.
ANEELA CHANDIO
Sukkur
