Rehman Malik
Agencies/Islamabad

The Pakistani government yesterday appointed Rehman Malik as adviser on internal affairs to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani just after he resigned as interior minister following the suspension of his Senate membership by the Supreme Court.
According to Geo News, Malik was appointed adviser on internal affairs yesterday, but the former minister later told Dawn News he has not been informed about his appointment.
The Supreme Court on Monday suspended Malik’s Senate membership for holding dual nationality of Britain and Pakistan.
Malik told the court he had forfeited his British citizenship but he failed to provide sufficient documents to the apex court.
Malik told Dawn News he stepped down as he does not want any conflict with the court.
He said he has also taken off the Pakistan flag from his house and his car.
The apex court earlier suspended the National Assembly membership of Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Farahnaz Ispahani, and has issued notice to Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh on similar grounds of holding dual nationality.
Meanwhile, Documents from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) showed that Malik had renounced his British citizenship. According to documents, the UKBA in a letter issued on May 29 informed the minister that his request to renounce his British citizenship had been granted.
The letter said that the British High Commission had also given its opinion on the matter and that Malik was no longer a British national.
More than 27 Pakistani federal and provincial lawmakers hold dual nationalities, who are disqualified to be legislators under the Constitution, says a prominent lawyer, who approached the Supreme Court with a list of 14 such MPs, creating a stir among political circles.
The suspension of the Senate membership of interior minister Rehman Malik has added to the nervousness and trepidation of this category of lawmakers, which came a week after a similar action against Farah Naz Ispahani, member of the National Assembly.
“I will give the remaining names to the apex court on the next date of hearing, June 13,” said Malik Waheed Anjum, former president of the District Bar Association Rawalpindi.
As he filed the list in the court, some of those figuring in it quickly denied that they held dual nationalities.
“I will sue the applicant for perjury,” Anusha Rehman, MNA belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) threatened.
“I should not be running from one embassy to another to seek visas if I hold the US nationality as claimed by the applicant,” she said.
The list contains the names of legislators belonging to the PML-N, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muthidda Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Waheed Anjum said he has even the foreign passport numbers of these lawmakers to establish that they had dual nationalities. Asked what prompted him to furnish the list to the apex court, he said the Supreme Court has repeatedly asked the attorney general to ascertain the information from all the assemblies about foreign nationality holding legislators, but it has got no assistance.