ISLAMABAD: A proposed amendment in the civil service rules could affect as many as 20,000 civil servants, a parliamentary body was told on Thursday.

The matter came up before the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat during discussion on the ‘The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ moved by Senator Afnan Ullah Khan in the sitting held on Jan 17, 2022,

The proposed amendment bars civil servants from holding dual nationality and suggests a timeline for dual national civil servants to relinquish their foreign nationality.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan was of view that government servants should not hold dual nationality during service because one person cannot be loyal to two countries at the same time.

A recent report submitted to the Supreme Court on dual nationality revealed that more than 22,000 top government officers are dual nationals. According to the report, 11,000 officers belong to police and bureaucracy.

Dual nationality holder officers are currently working in interior division, power division, aviation division, finance division, petroleum, commerce ministry, establishment division, information ministry, railway and others, according to the report.

Establishment Secretary Afzal Latif pointed out that this bar would affect a large number of civil servants, but maintained that it was essential to obtain the Ministry of Interior’s point of view on the amendment.

However, Committee Chairman Rana Maqbool Ahmad directed the cabinet division and interior secretaries to ensure their presence in the next meeting to convey their perspective on the amendment under discussion.

Meanwhile, during discussion on the recent decisions of the Central Selection Board, Senator Dilawar Khan asked the Establishment Division to provide reasons for the supersession of officers.

Minister Ali Mohammad Khan told the committee that the matter was sub juice before the Lahore High Court and according to the rules, could not be discussed in committee. However, Chairman Rana Maqbool Ahmad said there was no harm in giving a report.

When the Establishment Division secretary contended that the information was classified and that he was not at liberty to discuss it with the committee, the chairman asked him to present a report in the next meeting, which would be held in-camera in view of the classified nature of the information at hand.

During the meeting, Senator Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur stressed that the Cabinet Division should present a scorecard of officers who had been superseded. “It is Prime Minister Imran Khan foremost priority to enhance tax collection and the irony is that, as of right now, Federal Board of Revenue officers are sitting in high court for their promotion,” she added.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2022