| Two MQM lawmakers suspended during dual nationality case hearing |
ISLAMABAD The Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended the national and provincial assembly memberships of two members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), DawnNews reported.
The National Assembly membership of Farhat Mahmood and the Sindh Assembly membership of Nadia Gabol were suspended by the Supreme Court during Wednesday’s hearing of the dual nationality case.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain was hearing the case relating to legislators holding dual nationality.
The court in its order ruled that the two lawmakers had been summoned three times but had failed to appear for the hearings. It moreover said that the two held nationalities of foreign countries and were therefore not qualified to become members of the national and provincial assemblies.
Also on Wednesday, the federal cabinet approved a bill which will allow the dual nationals of the country to participate in the next general elections and will also protect current dual-national lawmakers from disqualification, DawnNews reported.
Draft of the dual nationality bill 2012 was presented in the federal cabinet meeting, headed by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.
The bill was approved with mutual consensus of the cabinet ministers. Now it will be presented in the National Assembly before it could become a law.
Counsel for Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz’s Jameel Malik, Imtiaz Siddiqui, also presented his arguments before the court.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Siddiqui argued that in the Netherlands, nationality was different from citizenship.
Siddiqui further stated that there was no concept of citizenship in the Netherlands.
By arrangement with Dawn
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