NADRA amends rules, Hindu women need submit only marriage affidavit for CNIC

NADRA amends regulations, brings at par with practised policy, following order of Supreme Court.

ISLAMABAD: The National Database at Registration Authority (NADRA) inserted a new regulation in the application for National Identity Card on Wednesday whereby a married Pakistani Hindu woman need only submit an affidavit as proof of marriage.

The regulation was added following directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan that NADRA amend its rules and regulations for the issuance of computerised national identity cards (CNICs) to Hindu women within two days. Subsequently, the authority on Wednesday issued a notification saying regulation 14 had been inserted as new in the National Database and Registration Authority Regulation 2002.

As per notification, an applicant, who is a married Pakistani Hindu woman, need only to provide an affidavit as a proof of marriage while applying for the first time for a computerised national identity card (CNIC) with her husband’s name on it.

NADRA previously continued this through a policy but on the instructions of Chief Justice of Pakistan, this policy has now been incorporated in its Regulations, to ease the processing of CNIC's of those belonging to the Hindu community.

The statement said such an affidavit will have to be countersigned by her husband in acknowledgement of the contents of the affidavit. No further proof of marriage shall be sought from the applicant.

A NADRA spokesman said computerised national identity card is the right of every Pakistani irrespective of caste, creed and religion.