Islamabad, Oct 17 (IANS): A leading Pakistani daily Wednesday described as "absurd" the Punjab government's attempt to find out the dual nationality of all government employees, including gardeners and peons. They may overhear "what we really think about China while they are watering the plants or fetching tea", it added in jest.

Now that it has been established that lawmakers should not be dual nationals, let's extend this principle to government-employed janitors, gardeners and peons too, said an editorial in the Dawn.

"They might, after all, overhear details about the actual pace of development of our nuclear programme or what we really think about China while they are watering the plants or fetching tea.

"Who knows whom they might leak such sensitive state secrets to. Speaking of which, the bureaucrats they would be fetching the tea for should also obviously come clean about any other passports they might be concealing as a way to cover up their divided loyalties. As should the chairman of the proposed federal drug regulatory authority, so that he or she is in no danger of colluding with foreign pharmaceutical firms," it added.

Stating that the truly unfortunate part of all this is that none of it is made up, the daily said that Punjab province has asked all government employees, from top bureaucrats to support staff, to submit proof they are not dual nationals - "despite the fact that as Pakistani citizens they have the right to simultaneously maintain the passports of certain other countries".

"There, is, of course, a simple explanation for this extension of the principle to jobs far from the country's top public offices...demonise dual nationality and earn populist credentials".

"So what if this strategy results in a witch-hunt of dual nationals who quite legally happen to work anywhere in government? If it serves a political purpose, no initiative is too absurd," it added.