Petition: For adoptions, NADRA forms need change

There is no option on the form for ‘guardian’. Jalil's application was rejected.

KARACHI:

When Ayesha Jalil adopted a baby girl in August 2010, she discovered at the office of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) that they couldn’t enter the child into the system. There is no option on the form for ‘guardian’. Her application was rejected.

Jalil went to court and filed a constitutional petition in which she has asked for Nadra to amend its forms to give people a choice other than mother or father. This could entail adding a new column or category.

The petition was admitted for hearing and given the nature of the case, the court asked a number of lawyers to assist it as amicus curiae.

However, when the hearing took place on Tuesday, none of the lawyers were present and the matter could not be moved forward. Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Nisar M Shaikh adjourned the matter indefinitely.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2012.