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| Pakistan denies citizenship to foreigners marrying Pakistani women | | | Islamabad | Feb 16
The Pakistan government has reportedly opposed granting citizenship rights to foreigners marrying Pakistani women, saying that such a provision could be used by any country to "plant their agents in Pakistan", apart from other social and economic implications.
The observation was made by the government in comments submitted to a full bench of the Federal Shariat Court, examining Citizenship Act 1951 in exercise of its suo motu powers, reported the Dawn.
Taking note of the fact that under Section 10 of the Act a married Pakistani man is entitled to obtain Pakistani citizenship for his foreign wife, the Shariat Court was trying to determine if the provision was discriminatory and repugnant to Islamic principles and violated the principles of democracy, equality and social justice.
The federal government, however, failed to explain why only foreign men and not women could misuse such a facility.
According to the government, which submitted its response in consultation with the ministry of interior, the directorate-general of immigration and passports and the provincial governments, foreign women marrying Pakistani husbands could not be equated with foreign men marrying Pakistani women.
The government also said it would amount to a blanket approval for all the foreign nationals to marry Pakistani women and obtain Pakistani nationality.
Most of them, it said, would misuse the provision, especially illegal immigrants like Afghan refugees, Bangldeshis and nationals of other South Asian states who 'do not intend to return to their country'.
The government said that citizenship rights like entitlement to vote, seeking appointment to constitutional posts and equal opportunities in matters of public appointments might be weighed with their political or national interests.
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