ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain on Tuesday resigned as Senator.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Hussain confirmed that he had submitted his resignation to the Senate Secretariat but declined to give any reason for it.

He, however, said that so far he had not resigned as adviser to the prime minister and would continue to work in this capacity.

Though Dr Hussain did not mention the reason for his resignation, sources said the adviser had quit his Senate seat from Sindh to avoid possible disqualification by the Supreme Court as he had dual nationality.

Last month, the Supreme Court had suspended the membership of a dozen lawmakers for holding dual nationalities and submitting wrong affidavits at the time of contesting the elections. The court in its order had also asked the disqualified legislators to return the amount they had received as salaries and allowances.

The sources said Dr Hussain had Canadian nationality.

He is considered to be a close confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari and has also been working as the president’s personal physician on honorary basis.