The oath Dr Qadri took in Canada.http://liveup2dates.blogspot.com/

ISLAMABAD: The oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth, taken by Dr Tahirul Qadri for attaining Canadian nationality, has become a hard bone stuck in the throat which can neither be swallowed nor be spitted.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013
From Print Edition

Dr Tahirul Qadri who, through his petition in the Supreme Court, seeks major ‘reforms’ before the general elections in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), was grilled by the Chief Justice of Pakistan for being loyal to the Queen and seeking reforms in Pakistan.



Dr Qadri has been asked by the Supreme Court to submit an affidavit in the apex court on Tuesday that he was loyal to the Queen Elizabeth and her successors as he openly admits that he is a Canadian national and as per oath for a Canadian citizen, one has to be loyal to the Queen Elizabeth-II and her heirs and successors.



Dr Qadri will submit the following oath in the Supreme Court, which the Chief Justice has also read before him on Monday. The oath reads: “I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.”



Dr Qadri defends his dual nationality by saying that the Constitution and the laws of Pakistan do not prevent anyone from acquiring dual nationality but parliamentarians.



The government, on the other hand, is also supporting Dr Qadri’s right to file the petition in the court but it wants the court to dismiss the petition on merits rather than going into the technicalities.



The Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), Irfan Qadir, also made it clear in the court that he had not come across any law which barred the dual nationals from filing petitions in the apex court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution. He, however, maintained that he did not agree with the contentions in the petition of Dr Qadri.



Senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja, when contacted, said that the oath of allegiance to any country does hold significance as it bounds oneself to remain loyal to the constitution and state, however, citizens have a very little influence in the policy affairs of a state. “It happens very rarely when two countries come head-on and people having nationalities of both the countries have to decide their loyalty for one country,” Raja held.



It is worth mentioning here that Dr Qadri is not only a dual national but there exists a decision of the Lahore High Court’s commission which had declared an assassination attempt on him as concocted.



Qadri, in a recent interview, has also admitted that there exists such a verdict of the Lahore High Court but termed it one-sided and biased because he had boycotted its proceedings.