The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that possession of a Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) alone does not constitute conclusive proof of Pakistani citizenship, contending that citizenship matters fall under Pakistan Citizenship Act, Nadra laws.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued the judgment while accepting a civil revision petition filed by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) against decisions of two lower courts that had declared Khalid Khan and another respondent as Pakistani citizens.
The court held that nationality disputes must be decided under the Pakistan Citizenship Act and relevant NADRA laws, rather than by ordinary civil courts.
NADRA had blocked the respondents’ CNICs after categorizing them as “aliens” and referred their case to a Joint Verification Committee comprising representatives of the Special Branch, Intelligence Bureau, and ISI. The committee was unable to verify their Pakistani nationality.
Justice Kayani noted that the respondents’ father failed to provide basic information about his family history during the inquiry, raising doubts about his claim of Pakistani origin.
The judge observed that many refugees who arrived during and after the Afghan war had obtained identity documents despite not being Pakistani citizens.
The court stressed that the respondents were required to produce reliable public records issued before 1979 to establish their father’s citizenship. Finding no such evidence, the LHC ruled that the lower courts had ignored crucial facts and documents presented by NADRA and set aside their judgments.
