Blocking CNIC
Parliament's approval of the NADRA Amendment Bill 2026 moves us one step closer to a place where the National Database and Registration Authority can temporarily cancel a citizen's CNIC for various reasons. Critics are calling it a draconian change, though its supporters claim use of the power will be narrowly applied, mostly on the misuse of identity documents and on those evading legal proceedings.
However, even in the best-case scenario, the law is ripe for abuse by bad actors, especially those who would use it to harass and punish political enemies. There is also the issue of how the law may well infringe on citizens' fundamental rights under the Constitution. The Supreme Court recently affirmed that a CNIC is not a luxury, but a "basic necessity" that is essential for carrying out normal life. Blocking CNICs, even if for only the maximum of 60 days that the law allows, would strip citizens of all these rights. Lest we forget, every citizen, including convicted criminals, has certain rights, so stripping all the rights tied to a valid CNIC is a dangerous precedent.
The threshold for exercising such power must be extraordinarily high. Unfortunately, even though officials may point to safeguards such as the requirements for written notices, opportunities for response and strict timelines, history offers reasons for concern. Courts have repeatedly censured NADRA for administrative overreach, including alleged "tampering" of citizen records and wrongful CNIC cancellations based on opaque intelligence reports. And these are just cases of the citizens suffering because the authorities may have made mistakes. Those with sinister motives could do much more harm. In a nation with a long history of political victimisation, governments could freely start blocking the CNICs of dissenters and political opponents under flimsy pretenses of national security.
If such laws are needed, there must also be appropriate legal oversight before any action is taken, and meaningful remedies for citizens who can prove they were wrongly targeted. Without such checks, we are only weeks away from opposition politicians and dissidents being unable to use their bank accounts.