Alien moves court for Pakistani citizenship

ISLAMABAD: An Afghan refugee has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking Pakistani citizenship.

The petition has been filed through Umer Gillani in which Principal Secretary of Prime Minister, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), interior ministry secretary and immigration director general (DG) have been made respondents.

Citing the Citizenship Act 1951, the petitioner said that every person born in Pakistan would be considered as a Pakistani citizen. Therefore, he contended that the offspring of Afghan refugees born in Pakistan were Pakistani citizens.

The applicant pleaded that NADRA violated the Act by not issuing him a national identity card (NIC) and deprived of basic rights. He asked the court to issue orders to NADRA for issuing him NIC as he faced tremendous problems in business and other everyday affairs because of its absence. The petitioner recalled the prime minister’s speech in which he had proposed granting citizenship to every Afghan citizen living in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2020.