ISLAMABAD, July 3: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court suspended on Tuesday the membership of MNA Jameel Malik of PML-N for holding dual nationality and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who headed the bench categorically stated that nobody was above the law.

“If the chief justice and prime minister can be put on trial there is no exception for anyone,” he said while responding to remarks made by Mr Malik’s counsel that the case had put the legislature on trial.

The MNA had conceded before the court that he also held Dutch nationality.

Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain are the other two judges on the bench hearing the case relating to legislators holding dual nationality.

The chief justice said the court had to focus on public interest, regardless of the number of lawmakers holding dual nationality.

When Anwar Mansoor Khan, the counsel for Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik, pointed out that former prime minister Shaukat Aziz also held dual nationality, the chief justice remarked: “Why do you show an American businessman the way to come to Pakistan and become the prime minister?”

Justice Khwaja said the court would issue a notice to Mr Aziz and former military ruler Pervez Musharraf too if a petition was filed.

The counsel argued that the Supreme Court was not the forum where his client should present documents to prove his innocence because it was the exclusive jurisdiction of parliament, the National Assembly speaker, chairman of Senate and speakers of the provincial assemblies.

He also argued that the onus was on the petitioner to prove his claim about any lawmakers holding dual nationality.

The chief justice said it was the domain of the court to interpret the Constitution and it was for parliament to introduce amendments to it.