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ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights is set to take up on Wednesday a Constitution amendment bill moved by members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for granting to overseas Pakistanis the right to vote and contest elections.
It will also take up another important amendment bill seeking an increase in the reserved seats for religious minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.
The committee, headed by Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, has also summoned officials of the human rights division for presenting a report on the recent recovery of minor girl students of a seminary in Karachi.
On Dec 15, the committee’s members had expressed annoyance over the division for not having investigated the incident and for presenting before them a report of the Sindh government.
Police had recovered 36 girls from a house in Liaquatabad and an apartment in Korangi Crossing area on Nov 26.
Read: Police recover 36 minor girls from Karachi home
These girls from Bajaur Agency had reportedly been handed over to a family by a supervisor of the seminary over a monetary dispute.
Dual Nationality Bill
The 24th Constitution Amendment Bill piloted by MQM’s S.A. Iqbal Qadri on behalf of 15 other party members in the assembly in October seeks amendments to Articles 51, 63 and 106.
The legislators have suggested the addition of an ‘explanation’ in Article 51 which elaborates the criteria for a voter in general elections. “It is hereby clarified that the right of a citizen of Pakistan to vote shall remain unaffected in case the citizen of Pakistan acquires the nationality/citizenship of any country permitted under the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, or any other successor law in force or any letter, order, notification, rule or subordinate/delegated legislation, made or issued there under,” the proposed provision says.
Also read: NA body says no to lifting of bar on dual nationals contesting elections
They have also suggested an amendment to Article 63 which deals with the “disqualification of a member of parliament” under which a dual national is not allowed to contest elections.
Article 63-1(c) states: “A person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, or being a member of the Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament) if he ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan, or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state.”
The bill suggests that the words “foreign state” be replaced with “except a country or a state in respect of which the acquisition of dual nationality/citizenship is permissible under the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951...”
The issue of dual nationality was surfaced during the previous PPP government when a number of losing candidates challenged the election of some of the legislators on the basis of the clause.
As a result of the court orders, a number of politicians had to quit their seats in assemblies for possessing the dual nationality. The MQM and the PPP, which were coalition partners in the previous government, attempted to bring legislations to remove this condition, but could not do so because of time constraints and pressure from other parties in parliament.
Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2014
