No restriction on dual citizenship: Gilani

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said there was no restriction on dual citizenship in the Constitution and he was in favour of expatriate Pakistanis getting right to vote and becoming members of the Parliament. Speaking in a private television programme, he said more than 300 councillors; mayors and members of House of Commons and House of Lords in Britain were Pakistanis.
There should be a debate on the issue of dual citizenship and the Parliament should decide the issue and legislate as the world has changed, he said and added that the expatriate Pakistanis should not be deprived of the right to become members of the Parliament and voters in Pakistan.
He said nowhere in the Constitution was written that Pakistanis cannot hold dual citizenship and cannot become legislators and bureaucrats.
"I am in favour of it that Pakistanis should have right to vote and become members of the Parliament," he remarked.
He said law and Constitution were not made for individuals and one had to look at the situation in the country and the world. "What will happen if Britain abolished the citizenship of Lord Nazir Ahmed?" he asked. Gilani said Pakistani citizens all over the world had the right of dual citizenship.
To a question, he said according to the law, Dr Shakil Afridi should be given the right to defend himself in the higher courts.
He said Dr Shakil Afridi was wrong in his actions, however, he should get justice through normal courts. To another question about Pakistan-US relations, he said talks were continuing between Pakistan and the United States on the reopening of Nato supply lines.
The Prime Minister said relations of countries could not be based on an incident but on solid grounds. To a question about expensive shopping by him, he responded that those reports were the biggest joke of the year.
To another question, he said the Federal Government had added more than 3500 megawatts to the national grid and was working on long, medium and short term projects to resolve the energy crisis. The government initiated the Diamer Bhasha Dam project, Mangla Dam upraising project, CASA 1000, electricity imports from Iran and India and the Thar Coal project to increase energy resources, he added.
He said the Punjab Government did not add one megawatt to the national grid, when nobody was stopping them from starting power generation projects.