ISLAMABAD, June 5: President Asif Ali Zardari appointed on Tuesday Abdul Rehman Malik as an adviser to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Mr Malik’s Senate membership was suspended on Monday by the Supreme Court and he was appointed adviser the very next day so that he could supervise the affairs of the interior ministry.

“The president, on the advice of the prime minister has appointed Rehman Malik as adviser to the prime minister on interior, with the status of federal minister,” said President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar.

An official notification issued by the cabinet secretariat said: “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 93 of the Constitution, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to appoint, with immediate effect, Rehman Malik as adviser to the prime minister on interior, with status of federal minister.”

Mr Malik was found having dual British citizenship at the time of being elected a senator. Article 63-C of the Constitution says: “A person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), if: He ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan, or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state… .”

Giving his verdict in the dual nationality case, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said: “We are of opinion that he (Rehman Malik) had acquired citizenship of UK and his membership of Senate is hereby suspended with all consequences.”

Sources in the interior ministry said that Mr Malik did not attend his office on Tuesday because of the apex court’s decision.