Recently, Dana Slosar was married to a Pakistani national and according to her husband, this was in fact legal in Pakistan. However, Dana Slosar claimed that the marriage did not have any other meaning than a sexual union between them. The Pakistan government has launched a case against her under sections of the Pakistan constitution and articles 98 and 99 of the penal code for ‘gerya’ or ‘gathering information contrary to the interest of Pakistan’. If found guilty, she faces up to two years in jail under these articles.
In a legal forum, it is believed that the term ‘nationality’ in relation to a Pakistani national is derived from the word nationality or community. The profession of a Pakistani is often defined by the government as a community with its own set of social, cultural and educational norms. There is no guarantee that a person will be given a nationality or citizenship by the government of Pakistan. Under the laws of Pakistan, you are either a Pakistani citizen or a Pakistani National. Your status is decided by your marital status and that of your spouse or your parents or any other relatives, whom are known as ‘muharram’ or ‘dhabihi’.
It is important to note that Dana Slosar is not a Pakistani national, despite her marriage to a Pakistani national. The question that arises is: if she is a Pakistani national, where can she benefit from her citizenship? According to the law of Pakistan, marriage to an adult woman outside the country of Pakistan without her consent is null and void. A Pakistani national cannot marry a woman who is not a member of the community to which he belongs nor has any fixed citizenship. If a man marries a woman who is not a member of his own community, he cannot become her legal citizen and be granted all the privileges associated with citizenship. Similarly, if a woman is married to an adult male outside the country of Pakistan and is therefore not a member of the community to which she belongs, she cannot become a Pakistani citizen by virtue of marriage.