ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday decided initiate with legal action against 12  lawmakers who had submitted false declarations regarding their nationalities, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representatives in Islamabad, Secretary Election Commission Ishtiaq Ahmed said that, including the eleven already denotified members of the Parliament and assemblies, the Supreme Court "had ordered the Election Commission to initiate proceedings against twelve lawmakers who had submitted false declarations regarding their nationalities".

"The EC has decided to initiate legal proceedings against the lawmakers and forward the complaints to the concerned session judges," he added.

Regarding Rehman Malik case, Ishtiaq said that the SC had forwarded his case to the Chairman Senate regarding his false declaration in 2008.

"Once the Chairman receives the reference and forwards it to us, then the commission will decide upon denotifying Malik," the Secretary ECP clarified.

He further clarified that Senator Rehman Malik has not yet been denotified and he is still a member of Senate and the interior minister.

He also said that " the Supreme Court  had directed the commission to take fresh declarations from all the members of the parliament and members of provincial assemblies regarding their nationalities."

Ahmed was speaking at a press conference following a high-level meeting presided by Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim in Islamabad.

The meeting was held to discuss the cases of dual-national lawmakers and to formulate the rules and regulations for the upcoming general elections.

Earlier on Sept 20, the Supreme Court had ruled that lawmakers holding dual nationalities were not eligible to hold any public offices and declared all such lawmakers as disqualified.

The ECP had annulled the assembly membership of the 11 disqualified lawmakers in accordance with the SC’s judgement.

The lawmakers included Zahid Iqbal, Farahnaz Ispahani, Muhammad Ikhlaq, Ashraf Chauhan, Nadia Gabol, Amina Buttar, Jameel Awan, Waseem Qadir, Farhat Mahmood Khan, Nadeem Khadim and Ahmed Ali Shah.