Senate body passes proposed amendments to Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill 2013

ISLAMABAD: Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat and Capital Administration Development Division on Thursday unanimously passed the proposed amendments to Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill 2013 introduced by senator Ilyas Ahmed Bilour.

In the meeting of the committee, it has been made mandatory for the promotion of dual nationality holders of grade 20 to 22 to have single nationality, said a press release issued here.

Secretary establishment Shahid Rasheed informed the committee that according to the Constitution of Pakistan it is mandatory to be a Pakistan national for government employee. However, working in missions of Foreign office in abroad one could avail the nationality of the specific country for one year on temporary basis, he added.

He said that according to the act of Pak Army there was a ban on the employment for dual nationality holder while the ban was not in force for working in judiciary.

While there was no ban to have dual nationality for MDs or chairmen of OGRA, PEMRA, PIA, Steel Mills, State Bank and other banks he added.

The chairperson of the committee Begum Kulsoom said that the person who is not loyal to the country has even no right to live in Pakistan.

She said that the ban to have dual nationality was applied only to the politicians who rendered sacrifices for the country faced imprisonment and sent on exile and they come back to their country for serving the masses.

She said that the bureaucrats after serving at key posts with dual nationality leave their country and go abroad and it is become difficult to carry out investigation against them.

The constitution of Pakistan should be implemented without any discrimination, Kulsoom added.

Senator Ilyas Bilour said that the purpose of the amendment was to stop the bureaucrats having dual nationality from escaping from the country after committing any corruption.

Senator Sughra Imam said that the leader of the house in Senate Raja Zafar ul Haq expressed his support on different occasions with regard to suspension of the dual nationality.

She expressed the hope that bill in this regard would also be passed in Parliament unanimously. (APP)