SC suspends PHC ruling on citizenship

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended a Peshawar High Court (PHC) verdict that had granted Pakistani citizenship to an Afghan man on the basis of his marriage to a Pakistani woman.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed heard the case related to the issuance of a Pakistan Origin Card (POC) to the Afghan national. During the proceedings, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Rana Asadullah informed the court that the federal government had already challenged the PHC decision of December 1, 2023. He said the high court had ruled that if an Afghan man married a Pakistani woman, he should be eligible for a POC and citizenship.