NADRA promises Karachi’s Pakhtuns CNICs in 3 months

People from provincial and federal tribal areas were initially denied cards.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court disposed of a constitutional petition seeking Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) for Pakhtuns living in Karachi, after NADRA undertook that it would process their applications within three months.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Salman Hamid, was hearing a petition filed by Shah Wali Khan, the vice chairman of the Pakhtun Peace & Development Movement. He named the NADRA chairman, NADRA provincial director and secretary interior as respondents for allegedly denying Pakhtun people in Karachi CNICs.

Advocate Abdus Samad Khattak submitted that a large number of Pakhtuns belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) or Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) live in Karachi and other parts of Sindh. He stated that they were denied service at NADRA offices, as officials verbally said an official notification restricted them from issuing CNICs to Pakhtun living in Karachi who originally hail from Fata and Pata.

On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Mian Khan said the only concern for NADRA was that since the 1979 war in Afghanistan, there had been a massive influx of Afghan refugees to the country. However, he undertook that these people, who applied in Karachi but belonged to either Pata or Fata would have their applications processed as laid down in the policy in para 4 of comments.

NADRA’s Assistant Manager Legal Abdul Samad Kattak submitted that doubtful cases would be verified by NADRA through its regional headquarters either in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or through the Political Agent.

The petitioner’s counsel prayed for a time limit to be laid down for this exercise and for some limitations to be placed on the authorities on verifying doubtful cases. He gave the example of problems of people whose parents were dead as appearing at the time of applying was mandatory.

To this submission, the DAG said that insofar as the verification process is concerned, the time limit of three months is sufficient and as far as orphans are concerned, they would be issued CNICs when they produce their form B, etc. Advocate Kattak for the petitioner agreed to this.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2010.