Pakistani Court Suspends Rehman Malik Over Dual Nationality Claim ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the interior minister after he failed to provide proof that he had surrendered his British passport. The order was part of a wider court probe into lawmakers who hold dual nationality with Western countries, including the United States. The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, suspended the minister, Rehman Malik, from the senate, automatically removing him as interior minister. Mr. Malik said he had already surrendered his British nationality but could not provide the necessary documentation. The government, which has fought several legal battles in the Supreme Court this year, did not immediately respond. But there was media speculation that it would quickly appoint Mr. Malik as an "adviser" to the prime minister, with full ministerial powers - effectively retaining him in his present post. Pakistan's constitution permits citizens to hold dual nationality but not lawmakers. Mr. Malik was one of 14 lawmakers singled out by Justice Chaudhry at a hearing on Monday, and who ordered them to explain their position by June 13. Most of the lawmakers are said to have additional American, British and Canadian nationalities. On May 25, the court suspended Farahnaz Ispahani, the wife of a former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, from the lower house of parliament. Ms. Ispahani, who holds American citizenship, is appealing the decision. Mr. Malik, famous for his colorful ties and flamboyant press appearances, is one of President Asif Ali Zardari's main troubleshooters in keeping the fractious governing coalition together. Mr. Malik is frequently dispatched to Karachi where ethnically based parties, who are nominally partners in the ruling coalition at the federal level, engage in often violent political competition. Mr. Malik's job is to negotiate truces, although the peace is often short-lived. Mr. Malik has maintained that he renounced his British nationality before becoming a member of the Senate after the 2008 general elections. But Mr. Malik failed to convince the court during court proceedings Monday morning. The court orders have stirred an emotive national debate about the dual nationality issue, with the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party describing the court petitions as a part of a "witch hunt." The nationalities - and, by implication, loyalty - of several senior leaders, including the finance minister and deputy chairman of the Senate, have been called into question. Some politicians say the constitution should be amended to allow for dual-nationality lawmakers, but the largest opposition party, Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, opposes any change. Yet the list of 14 lawmakers currently under scrutiny includes Mr. Sharif's supporters. One of them, Anusha Rahman, denied that she held a Canadian passport and promised a fight to prove it. Even so, she said, the controversy could hold a silver lining: No publicity is bad publicity.