Raja-Ashraf-AFP-670
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf speaks to media representatives. — File Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is among over 450 lawmakers who are yet to submit declarations to the Election Commission, affirming that they do not hold dual nationality.

The commission decided to directly seek fresh declarations from the members of parliament in the second week of this month and warned that those failing to submit the declarations within one month would be presumed to be guilty of violating Article 63 (1)(c) of the Constitution.

Sources told Dawn that 67 of the 104 Senators had not yet submitted fresh declarations sought under the directive of the Supreme Court.

They include Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Deputy Chairman Sabir Ali Baloch, Leader of the House Jehangir Badr, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, the president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who submitted the declaration when he contested the election for the Senate seat after resigning.

The list includes names of the chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security Mian Raza Rabbani, MQM senators Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Farogh Naseem Syed, Mustafa Kamal and Nasreen Jaleel; the ANP’s Haji Adeel, Azam Khan Hoti, Ilyas Bilour and Afrasiab Khattak; Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani and Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of the PML-F.

The 143 members of the National Assembly whose fresh declarations are still awaited include Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Minister for Cabinet Administration Division Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Minister for Climate Change Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ammad Khan, Minister of State for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Speaker of National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, head of his own faction of the PPP Aftab Sherpao, and Chairman of Public Accounts Committee Nadeem Afzal Gondal.

The list also includes the names of Defence Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar, Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, President Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Khushbakht Shujaat, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Jam Mohammad Yusuf and Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd.

The members of the house elected on reserved seats for women appearing on the list include Justice (retd) Fakhrunnisa, Mehreen Anwar Raja, Nafisa Shah, Fiza Junejo, Asma Arbab Alamgir and Zubeida Jalal.

Four of the 10 minority MNAs yet to submit declarations include Akram Masih Gill, Kishan Chand Parwani and Manohar Lal.

Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, Sardar Asif Nakai and Robina Shaheen Wattoo (daughter of Mian Manzoor Wattoo) are among the around 90 members of the Punjab Assembly yet to file fresh declarations.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Speaker of Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, provincial ministers Nadir Ali Magsi, Makhdoom Jameeluz Zaman, Zahid Ali Bhurgari, Murad Ali Shah, Pir Mazharul Haq, Sassui Palijo and Daya Ram, Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Jam Madad Ali, former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and former home Minister Husnain Mirza are prominent among the 135 members of the Sindh Assembly yet to file fresh declarations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have only 13 and seven members respectively, who have been left out of the process so far.

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