2,365 Pakistani officials found to hold foreign or dual citizenship

ISLAMABAD: Some 2,365 Pakistani government officials were identified holding dual nationality or having relinquished their Pakistani citizenship entirely, the Hum Investigation Team (HIT) learnt.

The government officials range in ranks from BS-17 to BS-22, and over half of them chose to conceal their dual or foreign status.

As per details obtained by HIT, this revelation prompted investigations by Pakistani authorities. Government departments including the Establishment Division, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and Cabinet Division collected the records of the relevant officers.

Read more: Rigging allegations saga: PTI challenges 35 NA constituencies

The investigation unearthed that most of the identified government officials occupy critical roles within government departments, ministries, and even some sensitive institutions.

In response to this discovery, authorities initiated probes into the officers in question, with particular focus on those occupying key positions.

The investigation process, conducted in phases, initially targeted 300,000 public employees, with records of an additional 400,000 government personnel currently being compiled.

Read more: Absence of Palestinian identity on Canadian passports declared ‘misleading”

More than two dozen officers holding dual citizenship are currently serving in highly significant positions. This violates a Pakistan Supreme Court order that prohibits the appointment of civil servants with dual nationality.

Among the identified individuals, 1,116 are foreign citizens or hold dual citizenship, while 1,249 officials’ spouses also possess foreign or dual nationality.

Of concern is the revelation that only 837 government officials disclosed their dual citizenship, while some 796 spouses of the officers acknowledged their dual status.

Meanwhile, 423 spouses of government officials concealed their dual or foreign citizenship, with only 31 submitting records of their foreign nationality.

Further investigation uncovered 261 government officers who deliberately hid their dual-citizenship status.

Moreover, twelve foreign officers were identified in key agencies such as National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), police, and foreign services, with six concealing their citizenship status.