Top court orders CNICs for trans people in 15 days

Top judge says judiciary will ensure community "gets its due"

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar on Monday ordered the formulation of a committee to ensure the provision of CNICs to transgender individuals in 15 days.

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Justice Nisar gave the directive while hearing a suo-motu case on the non-issuance of CNICs to transgender individuals at the apex court's Lahore registry. The top judge also ordered this to be a one-window process.

Justice Nisar said he would personally monitor progress and constitute special courts to resolve pertinent issues. "Trans issues will not stand resolved till steps are taken to secure their rights," he said. Justice Nisar added that those guilty of misbehaving with members of the community will be showed zero tolerance. The top judge said that transgender individuals with CNICs should not be deprived of the fundamental right to vote.



“Whether the state steps in or not, the judiciary will do everything in its capacity to ensure that the transgender community gets its due . As a society, we should be ashamed for being inconsiderate towards them," the CJP remarked. Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that reservation of special seats in the assemblies was contingent on their population.

Members of the transgender community met the top judge as he visited Lahore's Fountain House on Eid. They told the CJP about how many struggled to obtain official identification documents.

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Earlier, Justice Nisar took notice of transgender individuals being pressurised by the police into leaving Mardan. NGO Vision Pakistan moved  the SC on behalf of the beleaguered community, claiming  police had been conducting raids and harassing individuals to force them out of Mardan.  The CJP then directed the Mardan district and sessions judge to look into the matter and apprise the SC on the situation.