KARACHI: As the Senate of Pakistan has passed that a civil servant holding dual nationality could not be promoted in basic pay scale 20 or equivalent and above, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has advised all the officers of BS-19-20 of Pakistan Customs Service to furnish a Certificate declaring their sole nationality of Pakistan.
Official sources appreciating the development said that this would discourage the culture of corruption in the institution.
It may be mentioned here that a considerable number of civil servants have acquired additional nationality of countries such as USA, Canada and South Africa, and most of them have questionable profiles.
Sources said that these civil servants had taken advantage of the provisions that enables them to acquire the nationality in above mentioned countries against financial considerations.
Sources said that several officers in Pakistan Customs had acquired dual nationality of their black money.
The Senate has unanimously passed ‘The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2013, aimed at barring the civil servants of BPS-20 and above to hold a dual nationality.
As per the amendment in the Civil Servant Act, 1973, the civil servants holding dual nationality or citizenship of any other country shall not be eligible for promotion to posts in Basic Pay Scale 20 or above and equivalent until and unless he/she renounces the citizenship of foreign country.
The bill was proposed with the objective that senior civil bureaucracy must have their stakes in the country where they hold positions of power, privilege and trust.
Customs officers of BS 19-20 asked to certify them being sole national of Pakistan
