ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the PPP, who is also a former federal minister, on Monday claimed that there are 22,000 bureaucrats in Pakistan with dual nationalities.
MNA Abdul Qadir Patel made the claim during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior chaired by MNA Khurram Nawaz at Parliament House in Islamabad.
Mr Patel said that 99 per cent of federal secretaries were dual nationals. He said there are always concerns that politicians with dual nationalities should not be allowed to occupy key posts with access to national secrets as it might compromise the security of the country, but these bureaucrats have access to all files and top secrets. There is no restriction on the bureaucrats to hold dual nationalities.
Agha Rafiullah of the PPP demanded that a list of all Pakistanis holding dual nationalities. He said last year a person holding dual nationality was given relief and posted on a very key position, he added.
Another member of the committee, Nabeel Gabol, said that no Pakistani passport should be issued to a person who has left the Pakistani citizenship. The committee directed the officials of the interior ministry and foreign office to brief the next meeting of the committee.
