Civil court could not block CNICs of citizens in civil cases: LHC

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) while hearing a petition against blocking the national identity card (CNIC) on Thursday set a fresh legal point with regard to blocking the CNIC.

The high court bench declared blocking of the national identity card of a citizen by a civil court as unlawful and ordered to unblock the citizen’s name within 15 days.

The LHC in its decision said that “a civil court could not block or cancel the identity card of a citizen in civil cases”. “An identity card belongs to a citizen’s identity it could not be deemed as property,” the court declared.

“The identity card has been the property of the federal government, it could not be subject to forward transfer or sold,” bench said in its decision.

“After death of a citizen the identity card could not be handed over in inheritance,” court further remarked.

“Each citizen get him/herself registered in NADRA, which issues a card to the citizen for personal identity,” LHC said.

“Registration of an 18-year citizen is mandatory under the rules of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA), it is duty of parents to get register their children after birth,” court observed.

A citizen Ali Ansari had challenged a civil court’s decision to block his identity card in the Lahore High Court’s Multan bench.

Justice Tanvir Ahmed Shaikh released the written verdict of the case comprising of seven pages.