In a surprising development in Pakistan, a committee of the National Assembly was informed that more than 22,000 bureaucrats in the country have dual citizenship, raising concerns over national security. The National Assembly is the lower house of the Pakistani Parliament.
According to the Express Tribune newspaper, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Internal Affairs met under the chairmanship of Raja Khurram Nawaz on Monday (January 6, 2025). In the meeting, the members expressed concern over this practice and demanded strict action to ban this practice, especially for bureaucrats, judges and MPs.
22 thousand bureaucrats of Pakistan have dual citizenship
The meeting discussed the proposed law, under which Pakistani passports will be given to citizens of countries with which Pakistan has dual citizenship agreements. During the meeting, it was revealed that around 22,000 bureaucrats have dual citizenship.
Committee member Abdul Qadir Patel expressed surprise that dual citizenship is prohibited for members of the National Assembly and judges, while there is no such restriction for bureaucrats. He proposed that a provision should be included in the Bill to ensure that persons with dual citizenship are not appointed as bureaucrats. Patel also challenged the argument that politicians are not given dual citizenship because of the need to protect state secrets.
NAB also expressed concern
Agha Rafiullah of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) sought detailed data on Pakistani citizens holding dual citizenship, including how many have renounced their foreign citizenship and whether NADRA, the official registration body, has this data. Which countries are these persons associated with?
According to the newspaper report, the committee member also expressed concern over the relaxation of dual nationality rules, citing the example of the chairman of top anti-corruption body NAB (National Accountability Bureau).
Also read:
