Pak SC disqualifies Malik, 11 others over dual nationality

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday disqualified 12 federal and provincial lawmakers, including Interior Minister Rehman Malik, for violating provisions of the Constitution by holding dual nationality.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued the order in response to a petition filed by a man named Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, who had asked the apex court to disqualify all lawmakers with dual nationality.

It is the second time in three months the court ruled against 60-year-old Malik.

Among the 12 disqualified lawmakers is Farahnaz Isphani, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari and the wife of former envoy to the US, Husain Haqqani.

However, in the case of Malik —who was a British citizen until May 29, 2012 — the disqualification related to his membership of the Senate or upper house of Parliament between 2008 and June this year.

After the apex court had suspended Malik's membership of the Senate in June on the ground that he had not provided proof of renouncing his British citizenship, Malik had resigned as a lawmaker.

ALSO READ

LeJ, death squads loom over Baloch polls

Pak prosecutor handling 26/11 attack, Bhutto assassination cases shot dead

Veteran BBC sportscaster Stuart Hall admits 14 indecent assaults

Indian-origin widow 'in bits' over husband's mystery death