SC gives Malik three weeks to name dual national MPs

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik to submit within three weeks a list of all lawmakers who held dual nationalities.
A three-judge bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain was hearing a case against members of parliament and provincial assemblies holding dual nationality.
The court had ordered the interior minister to submit by Thursday a list of legislators who held dual nationality following its short order of September 20.
Appearing before the bench, Malik said he was doing so because he respected the court. He said if the court wanted him to name dual national members of parliament, it should wait until all lawmakers submitted fresh declarations. Malik said the media stated he had asked for permission to go to Kuwait and went to Swat instead, adding that petitioner Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi who had ridiculed him in court, should be behind bars.
He further said he had not talked about anything related to dual nationality of parliamentarians, to which the chief justice asked if it was in accordance with a minister’s post to retract his statement.
The court then directed Malik to present a report on dual national parliamentarians.
Referring to the October 9 directions by the ECP, Malik said by the time the lawmakers submitted their declarations, it would be clear which of them possessed dual nationalities. Malik added a bad precedent would be set in his position as a minister if he took somebody’s name.
While Malik refused to name dual national legislators in court, Justice Khawaja said the media had named several lawmakers who were said to be holding dual nationality, including Nadir Magsi, Dr Asim Hussain, Senator Babar Ghauri, Dr Ishratul Ibad, Rauf Siddiqui, Sassi Palejo and Waseem Akhtar.
Justice Khawaja ordered Malik to investigate into the matter. Accepting the interior minister’s request to be exempted from appearing before the court in the next hearing, the court directed him to submit through the interior secretary a list of names within three weeks of dual national lawmakers.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned.