Pakistani nationality law
Pakistani nationality law
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| Pakistani Citizenship Act | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parliament of Pakistan | |
| An Act relating to Pakistani citizenship | |
| Enacted by | Government of Pakistan |
Status: Current legislation | |
The Pakistani nationality law governs citizenship of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The principal legislation determining nationality, the Pakistan Citizenship Act, was passed by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 13 April 1951. Since Cambodia changed its laws, Pakistan was the only country in Asia with unconditional jus soli citizenship rights.[1] Pakistan abolished jus soli citizenship in 2004.[2]
Contents
1 Citizenship
1.1 Pakistani Citizenship Act 1951
2 Dual nationality
2.1 Controversial issues
3 Travel freedom
4 See also
5 References
Citizenship[edit]
Before the creation of Pakistan, its territories were part of the British Indian Empire (which included modern-day India, Bangladesh and itself) and its people were British subjects. Pakistan was founded on 14 August 1947 as a state for Muslims and held the status of a Dominion in the British Commonwealth; it included modern-day Bangladesh, which was known as East Bengal and East Pakistan and became independent from Pakistan in 1971. Upon independence from British colonial rule, several millions of Muslims emigrated to Pakistan from India, and several millions of Hindus and Sikhs who had been residing in what became Pakistan emigrated to India, raising a number of citizenship issues.
Pakistani Citizenship Act 1951[edit]
The Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951 was enacted on 13 April 1951; stating the purpose of it is "to make provision for citizenship of Pakistan".[1] The Act has been amended several times, the last occurring in 2000.[3] The Act is divided into 23 sections, each one outlining a different provision of citizenship, of which the most significant are:
| Relevant provision | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| s. 3 | Citizenship at the date of commencement of this Act | At the commencement of this Act every person shall be deemed to be a citizen of Pakistan:
|
| s. 4 | Citizenship by birth | Anyone born in Pakistan after this Act is a Pakistani Citizen (Except if the father is considered an enemy of the state or the father has immunity from legal process) |
| s. 5 | Citizenship by descent | If one parent has Pakistani Citizenship then a person born to that parent may also get citizenship. |
| s. 6 | Citizenship by Migration | If a person migrates from Indian territory before 1 January 1952, with the intention of permanently residing then they may receive citizenship. If he is a man, his wife and children may get Pakistani citizenship as well. |
| s. 7 | Person migrating from the territories of Pakistan | Notwithstanding anything in sections 3, 4 and 6, a person who has migrated from the territories now included in Pakistan, after 1 March 1947, to the territories now included in India shall not be a citizen of Pakistan under the provision of these sections with an exception for the person who has returned with a permission of resettlement under the authority of law. |
| s. 14 | Dual Citizenship or nationality not permitted | If you hold a citizenship outside of Pakistan the Pakistani citizenship is terminated
|
| s. 14A | Renunciation of citizenship | If a person pledges allegiance or becomes a citizen of another country they have forfeited their Pakistani citizenship
|
| s. 14B | Subjects of the State of Jammu and Kashmir | Those persons who have migrated to Pakistan with the intention of residing therein until such time as the relationship between Pakistan and that State is finally determined, shall, without prejudice to his status as such subject, be a citizen of Pakistan. |
| s. 16 | Deprivation of Citizenship | One may be deprived or stripped of citizenship if:
|
| s. 16A | Certain Persons to lose and others to retain citizenship | Regarding the times before and after 16 December 1971 and people residing in what was previously East Pakistan
|
Dual nationality[edit]
Since independence, the growth of expatriate Pakistani communities in the Middle East, Europe and North America has led to several changes in Pakistani nationality law. Dual citizenship is allowed in certain specified circumstances:[1]
- where the citizen who is acquiring the second nationality is under the age of 21
- where the citizen is also a British citizen
- where citizens have acquired United States or Swedish or belgian nationality[4]
Pakistanis with dual citizenship are forbidden to run for public office,[5][6] sit in the assemblies, contest elections or join the Pakistani military.[7] On 20 September 2012, the Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified eleven lawmakers including Interior Minister Rehman Malik for failing to disclose their dual nationalities upon taking office.[8] The proposed 21st Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan would have allowed dual citizens to hold public office and contest elections, but the amendment never passed.[9] On 16 December 2013, the Senate of Pakistan unanimously passed "The Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2013", aimed at barring the civil servants of BPS-20 and above to have dual nationality. The bill will then be debated in the National Assembly of Pakistan. If it is passed there, it would then be implemented as an Act after the President of Pakistan signs it.[10]
Controversial issues[edit]
Both Pakistan and India law claim to the disputed region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of numerous wars between the two countries. The Pakistani Citizenship Act of 1951 allowed persons who were subjects of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to travel under a Pakistani passport and be considered a citizen of Pakistan without prejudice.[1]
The independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971 led to the abandonment in the Bengali-majority state of around half a million "stranded Pakistanis", who traced their ethnolinguistic heritage to the Bihar region. Despite official promises, Bangladesh refuses to accept them or to recognise them as citizens. Conversely, a continuous migration of Bangladeshis between 1971 and 1995 led their population to cross the 1.6 million mark, which was only 10,000 at the time of separation. The migrants are mostly illegal and are not given the citizenship, as they migrated after the separation.
For political and other reasons, the 1.5 million[11] registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan are not given Pakistani nationality, most of whom were born in Pakistan.[12]
Travel freedom[edit]
Visa requirements for Pakistani citizens
In 2016, Pakistani citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 29 countries and territories, ranking the Pakistani passport 103rd in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.
See also[edit]
- Pakistani passport
- Indian nationality law
- British nationality law
- Bangladeshi nationality law
References[edit]
^ abcd "Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951". Act No. II of 1951 (PDF). Retrieved 2 September 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "As Trump strikes at birthright citizenship, Americans – and Indians – look up 14th Amendment".
^ "Chapter 14: registration and naturalisation under legislation other than the British Nationality Act 1981 (Annex J: Pakistani Citizenship Law)" (PDF). gov.uk. UK Visas and Immigration. 29 November 2013.
^ http://embassyofpakistanusa.org/dual.php
^ "In defence of dual nationals - The Express Tribune". tribune.com.pk. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ http://www.ecp.gov.pk/ViewPressReleaseNotific.aspx?ID=1451&TypeID=0
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2012.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-20/pakistan/33976062_1_dual-nationality-rehman-malik-farahnaz-ispahani
^ "Biyokulule Online". www.biyokulule.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ "Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill: Senate bill seeks to place bar on dual-national bureaucrats - The Express Tribune". tribune.com.pk. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency". www.unhcr.org. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
^ "PAKISTAN: Tolerance wanes as perceptions of Afghan refugees change". Irin. February 27, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
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CategoryCategories:
- Nationality law
- Pakistani nationality law
- Foreign relations of Pakistan
- Pakistani society
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