Senators-elect facing dual nationality case allowed to vote on March 12

The Supreme Court of Pakistan in its interim order has allowed the four senators-elect to participate in the polling of Senate chairman's election to be held on March 12.

In the interim decision, the election commission was directed to issue the notification to all those four senators-elect - Sadia Abbasi, Haroon Akhtar, Nuzhat Sadiq, and Chaudhry Sarwar. 

The court earlier halted the Pakistan Election Commission to issue notification after the media reports that these four senators possessed dual nationality.

It was also decided that a larger seven-member bench will be formed to deal with the suo-motu case pertaining to senators holding dual nationality. The court appointed amici curiae (friends of the court) legal experts Khalid Khan and Bilal Manto to assist in the case.

During the hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) senator-elect Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar informed the court that he renounced his British nationality in 2013.

Chief Justice Saquib Nisar asked if he left the nationality for temporarily, to which Sarwar’s counsel replied that his client can restore the nationality under the British law.

The chief justice remarked that Sarwar must give an undertaking that he would never restore his nationality, adding that you will be stood disqualified if restore British nationality.

The court fixed March 10 the next date of hearing.