ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has demanded of the prime minister to sack his special assistants who have dual nationality.

“It’s was unfair that dual nationality holders sit in Pakistan’s parliament, become ministers and take decisions concerning the country,” PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb quoted Imran Khan’s words and said in a tweet on Sunday that his hypocrisy was shameless and his duplicity was destroying a nation. She lambasted the prime minister for appointing those having dual nationality as his special assistants in different fields. She reminded Prime Minister Imran Khan of his earlier stance on the issue by saying, “A person possessing passport of some other country should not sit in the parliament: Imran Khan”.

The spokesperson criticised the prime minister for deviating from his earlier stance on the subject and termed it a kind of hypocrisy on his part. “His hypocrisy is shameless as his duplicity is destroying a nation. All IK is missing is a flute,” she said. She said seven aides of the PM hold dual nationality. Mainstream Pakistani print media on Sunday said that seven PM aides were found to be dual nationals though the actual number of those having dual nationality was four. The cabinet division’s notification placed on its website showed that out of 19 non-elected cabinet members, four special assistants to the prime minister (SAPMs) hold dual nationalities. They include SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar (US), SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari (United Kingdom), SAPM on Power Division Shahzad Qasim (US) and SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania S. Aidrus (Canada). Among those holding residency of other countries are SAPM on Political Affairs Shahbaz Gill (US), SAPM on National Security Moeed Yousuf (US), SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canada) and Aidrus (Singapore).

Meanwhile, another PML-N leader, Attaullah Tarar, addressing a press conference here, also criticised the prime minister for appointing dual nationality-holders as his aides. He termed it a case of conflict of interest and demanded of the prime minister to sack them and put their names on the ECL so that they could be held responsible for their decisions concerning the country.

He said the PTI leadership was unable to launch new projects rather they were once again inaugurating the projects launched by the PML-N government. He criticised Punjab Chief Minister for not launching new projects. He said who criticises Punjab Chief Minister is held by ‘NAB-Niazi nexus’.

Commenting on the development projects being inaugurated by the PTI governments, Tarar said there was no new project. He said PTI has been in power in KP province but could not raise a burn hospital. He said the PTI government instead of initiating new projects started renaming PML-N’s development projects. He said PML-N’s ‘Prime Minister’s Youth Programme’ was renamed as ‘Kamyab Jawan Programme’. He said PML-N’s health card programme was renamed as ‘Insaf Sehat Card’. He said Mian Nawaz Sharif also initiated Diamer Bhasha Dam project and added the present government was claiming it as their initiative. He held Imran Khan for the wheat, flour and sugar crisis in the country. He opined that there was no action against the sugar mafia. He said the persons sitting in the cabinet were also equally responsible for the crisis in the country.