ISLAMABAD - A senior PPP parliamentarian, Mian Raza Rabbani Thursday demanded the government revoke dual citizenship agreement with the United States of America signed during Gen Mushrraf’s ‘dictatorial’ regime.
He said certain clauses in the US Oath of Allegiance bound the US nationals to be loyal only to the US and carry arms when required by the law.
“Is it legally and constitutionally possible to have dual nationality agreement with the US, which oath bounds the US national to renounce and abjure all allegiances and fidelity to any other state and to take part in wars when needed?,” the question raised by Senator Sughra Imam of ruling PPP during question hour session of the Senate stirred the PPP’s stalwart Raza Rabbani to speak over the issue.
Earlier, the House was informed by State Minister for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warrich to a question asked by Sughra Imam, that Pakistan has dual nationality arrangements with 16 countries including the US. Pakistan has signed the dual citizenship agreement with the US on August 29, 2002, Mr Warrich said.
The question was deferred by the Chairman Senate after Mr Warrich informed that he had not gone through the details of agreement with the US and so could not inform the House appropriately about legalities involved in the agreement.
The remarks of the Minister provoked Mian Raza Rabbani to say, “Are you trying to hide something from the House?”
Rabbani said why the US was listed among 16 countries Pakistan had an agreement with if it had such clauses in the oath adding the government should review that specific agreement commenced during Mushrraf regime. He was of the view that the act of signing that agreement showed disloyalty to the country. He said how a person could be loyal to two different constitutions at a time.
Above all, he said, the agreement was signed during Mushrraf’s tenure, who wanted to make Pakistan a client state of the US. “If Pakistan is the 53rd State of the US than there is no harm. But if it is not so, than the agreement should be revoked,” Rabbani said.
Imtiaz Safdar Warrich further informed that Pakistan had agreements with 16 countries over dual nationality that include Australia (1974, year of arrangement), Belgium (1983), Canada (1973), Egypt (1990), France (1983), Iceland (1983), Ireland (2005), Italy (1983), Jordan (1989), Netherlands (1993), New Zealand (1983), Switzerland (1983), Syria (1989), Sweden (2002), United Kingdom (1951) and United States of America (2002).
Earlier, Mian Raza Rabbani along with Aitizaz Ahsan had also strongly opposed the 22nd Constitutional Amendment bill that was aimed to allow dual nationality holders to run for elections.