Pak Interior Minister Rehman Malik suspended

The apex court acted against Malik on the basis of Article 63 (1c) of the constitution, which states that a person will be disqualified as a member of parliament if he or she "acquires the citizenship of a foreign state"

Malik had acquired British citizenship while living in self-exile in the UK in the 1990s. He reportedly has a controlling interest in some businesses in Britain, including a private security firm.

The apex court also issued notices today to 14 other parliamentarians accused of having dual nationality, including Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and senior PML-N leader Khwaja Asif.

They were asked to respond to the notices by June 13.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had suspended the membership of parliament of Farahnaz Ispahani, the media advisor to President Asif Ali Zardari, for holding US citizenship.

During today's hearing, Attorney General Irfan Qadir objected to the action taken by the apex court. He said the court should refer the matter to the executive authority as it does not have the power to take action against lawmakers with dual nationality

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