Zulfi Bukhari renounces British citizenship

‘The country requires us… win or defeat is in the hands of Allah, but we decided to serve Pakistan,’ said Bukhari, adding that those who have fled Pakistan are trying to obtain asylum, but they must return soon.

The PTI leader said that the decision to relinquish British citizenship was personal, saying that he would contest the next general election on a PTI ticket.

I intend to live and die in Pakistan. It was said that I would leave Pakistan after the end of the government, but I stood by Imran Khan in difficult times. I am Pakistani and I will remain Pakistani,” he said.

The British Home Office also notified the development.

The question of Bukhari’s citizenship emerged in 2018 when he was appointed special assistant to then prime minister Imran Khan. It was contested in the Supreme Court.

Bukhari, popularly known as Zulfi Bukhari, is a close associate and friend of the former prime minister and was appointed his special assistant for overseas Pakistanis and human resource development.

The petition states that a person who is ineligible to become a member of Parliament and therefore a federal minister cannot obtain the status of minister of the state through appointment by the prime minister as a special assistant.

Later, Bukhari argued in the Supreme Court that he is a citizen of the United Kingdom by birth as he did not acquire citizenship. “The respondent (Zulfi Bukhari) was born December 3, 1980, in Great Britain and is a British citizen by birth.

His citizenship was conferred by birth and not acquired by any action on his part. As such answering respondent did not take the oath of allegiance. Despite being born in Britain, the answering respondent voluntarily opted to be a Pakistani citizen and be subject to Pakistani law,” according to the reply submitted by his counsel Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan in the case regarding the appointment.