Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh observed that it is the state’s responsibility to look after children who have been abandoned, as the child bears no responsibility for his or her parent’s actions. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
The Supreme Court has directed all provincial chief secretaries to assist the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) in enforcing its policy on the registration of abandoned children in the country.
On Thursday, a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, disposed of a three-year-old application filed by philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi for crafting a legal strategy on the registration of children abandoned by their parents.
The application referred to an instance when NADRA refused to register a minor, saying the process could not be initiated in the absence of the child’s guardian or if the child is illegitimate.
The bench observed that the petition has been addressed in view of NADRA’s new policy and the institution has been asked to ensure that such applications are properly dealt with.
Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh observed that it is the state’s responsibility to look after children who have been abandoned, as the child bears no responsibility for his or her parent’s actions.
During the hearing, counsel for NADRA Afnan Karim Kundi told the bench that the institution has submitted a comprehensive report regarding the registration of orphans and abandoned children. He also submitted that the assistance of provincial governments would be required in the policy’s implementation.
According to NADRA’s report, 610 abandoned children have been registered to date. “Most of the organisations have provided the requisite information and the process of registration is still under way.
The Edhi Foundation has also furnished data of such children from its Karachi office. The total number of such children that are still unregistered with NADRA is 3,087 and only 610 have been registered,” the report stated. The report adds that any in-charge of an orphanage may serve as a child’s guardian through a Rs20-affidavit, provided that the orphanage is legally registered and recognised by NADRA.
“In case of known parentage of the child, any unspecified name of the parents as recorded by the orphanage will be entered in the database. It is the responsibility of orphanage to give any supposed name to the unknown parents of the child but these names should not be fixed names like Edhi, Abdullah, Adam or Eve,” the report adds.
NADRA says guidance has been sought from the Council of Islamic Ideology and religious scholars in Iran and Saudi Arabia in order to frame this policy. Additionally, 31 orphanages have been requested to provide data in order to register their organisations with NADRA. A ‘smart card’ has also been introduced for orphans or abandoned children which holds information about their education, financial transactions and so on.
During Thursday’s hearing, the bench decided to take up the matter related to adoption at an appropriate forum and disposed of the case.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2014.
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