The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared the individuals with dual nationalities as ineligible to take part in elections, Secretary ECP Ishtiak Ahmed Khan said Monday. According to a press release issued here, he said the ECP has issued a directive for ensuring its strict implementation to the orders.

He directed 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. 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".

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.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2011