ECP BARS DUAL-NATIONALITY HOLDERS FROM CONTESTING ELECTIONS
Islamabad, the 19th December, 2011.- Mr. Ishtiak Ahmed Khan, Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan has said that the ECP has declared individuals with dual nationalities ineligible to take part in elections and has, therefore, issued a directive for ensuring its strict implementation for Returning Officers to obtain a declaration on oath from all the persons filing Nomination Papers for an election to a seat in the Parliament or a Provincial Assembly.
Mr. Ishtiak Khan further said that ECP has, according to Article 63-1(c) of the Constitution read with Section 99 (1A) (c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1976, observed that the law disqualifies such people from being elected, or chosen as, and from being a member of the Parliament, if “he ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state”.
Article 63(1) (c) of the Constitution is reproduced here which says: “A person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), if he ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state.”
This provision of the Constitution is being implemented for the first time in the Senate bye-election in KPK, for which the nomination papers are to be submitted on 20th & 21st December, 2011 and the polling will take place on 4th January 2012 at Provincial Assembly Building, Peshawar.