ISLAMABAD, Sept 22: The Supreme Court directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday to come forward and justify his utterances that more than 30 lawmakers still enjoyed dual nationality.

Taking cognizance of news reports which appeared in media after the court’s verdict on dual nationality, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry ordered its office to dispatch a letter to PML-Q member Begum Shehnaz Sheikh, who once served as minister of state for health, to give her version on a news report that she is holding the citizenship of Australia for the past 16 years. The letter will be sent to Ms Sheikh through the National Assembly secretary.A reporter for an English newspaper has also been asked to give reasons to establish the contents of his story.

On Sept 20, the Supreme Court had disqualified MNAs Chaudhry Zahid Iqbal and Farah Naz Isfahani of the PPP, Farhat Mehmood Khan of the MQM and Jamil Ahmed Malik of the PML-N for holding dual nationality.

It also disqualified four members of the Punjab Assembly and three of the Sindh Assembly. They were Mohammad Akhlaq, Dr Mohammad Ashraf Chohan, Chaudhry Waseem Qadir and Chaudhry Nadeem Khadim (all PML-N members of Punjab PA) and Amna Buttar of the PPP, Dr Ahmad Ali Shah and Nadia Gabol of the MQM (from the Sindh legislature) under Article 63(1c) of the Constitution.

The court spared Rehman Malik for the time being, but held that he cannot be considered “sagacious, righteous, honest and Ameen” for giving false declaration at the time of filing his nomination papers.

In the fresh order, the chief justice observed the information so provided would help enable the court to deal with all members equally in terms of Article 25 of the Constitution, which provides that all citizens are equal before law and entitled to equal protection of law. He also cited Article 5, which holds that loyalty to the state is a basic duty of every citizen and that obedience to the Constitution and law is an inviolable obligation of every citizen wherever he may be, and of any individual who is on Pakistan soil no matter how transitory is his stay.

“Keeping in view these provisions, it is to be observed that (interior minister Rehman) Malik, the reporter and all citizens of Pakistan are under a constitutional duty to be loyal to Pakistan and obedient to the Constitution and the law,” the order said, asking them to assist the court in making sure that there is no discrimination between parliamentarians and members of the provincial assemblies, who being the holders of dual citizenship under Article 63(1 c) of the Constitution are disqualified from being elected or chosen as members of parliament.

The apex court has also ordered that the information so solicited be furnished on or before Sept 27 so that further proceedings, if needed, were initiated on the judicial side.