The British Government's decision to grant full British nationality to some BN(O) passport holders has created a lot of uncertainty among the Pakistani community. Indian nationals who obtained a BN(O) passport have automatically lost their Indian nationality. Pakistanis who adopted BN(O) status initially thought their Pakistani nationality would remain intact. However, the government of Pakistan has already made it clear that BN(O) holders will cease to be Pakistani nationals as a dual passport arrangement was only acceptable with a full British passport. What is the position of Pakistanis who are BN(O) holders? As I understand it, most Pakistanis who also hold Pakistani passports did not feel it necessary to report or renounce their Pakistani status for the obvious reason that they thought they could hold both at the same time. Some who went to renew their passport - and informed the consulate of having another passport - were not allowed to do so. These people became stateless. Others who go to renew their passports will have the same fate. There will now be chaos as every Pakistani who has a BN(O) passport will become stateless and will have nowhere to go. I suggest that this problem must be addressed now to avoid a big problem in the future. MOHAMMED ISHAQUE Sheung Wan
