LAHORE, Sept 2: Mr Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani of the Lahore High Court has held that a person holding a dual nationality is disqualified to contest the elections for parliament membership.

Disposing of a writ petition filed by Umar Ahmed Ghumman, who acquired US nationality in 1994 and was issued a passport of that country, seeking a declaration that he continued to be a citizen of Pakistan and could contest the parliament elections, the learned judge observed that Article 63 (1) (C) of the Constitution explicitly mandated that “a person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as and from being a member of the Majlis-i-Shoora (Parliament), if he ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan, or acquires the nationality of a foreign state”. Thus the disqualification came into play the moment a person became a candidate or sought election.

The judge further observed that the court declared the petitioner a citizen of Pakistan but every citizen of a state could not be allowed to contest the election.

Since the petitioner had admittedly acquired the citizenship of a foreign country, he was hit by the constitutional provision barring foreign nationals to become the members of parliament.