RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday set aside the cancellation of computerized national identity card (CNIC) of a Pakhtoon man and Form-B of his two minor daughters by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Justice Sajid Mahmood Sethi directed the Nadra to review its decision within seven days and render tangible reasons if it did not want to restore the national identity documents of the petitioner and his daughters.

The petitioner Wali Muhammad Khan, contended through counsel Chaudhry Shoaib Saleem that Nadra cancelled his CNIC and Form-B of his two minor daughters Somia and Afia.

The counsel argued that family of the petitioner had been living in Pakistan before 1947 and many of his elders were pensioners. He said the petitioner’s family had been regularly paying all taxes to the government as lawful citizens of Pakistan.

He said the Nadra, few months ago, cancelled national identity’s documents of the petitioner and his two daughters declaring them non-resident. He said the authority never issued any show cause notice to the petitioner before taking the impugned action. The lawyer further argued that the Nadra had no power to cancel citizenship of any citizen.

A law officer told to the court that the documents of the petitioner’s family were cancelled in light of an intelligence department’s report. The court however set aside the Nadra’s decision with direction to review its decision within seven days.