PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has ordered the restoration of the Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) of two brothers whose cards were blocked after the data of their third brother matched records associated with an Afghan Citizen Card.
Justice Waqar Ahmad announced the verdict on a petition challenging the blocking of the three brothers’ CNICs.
According to the petition, the CNICs of the three brothers were blocked after the data of one of them, Kifayatullah, matched the record of an Afghan Citizen Card. The petitioners contended that the CNICs of his two brothers, Muhammadullah and Khairullah, were also blocked solely on the basis of the data match.
The high court ordered the restoration of Muhammadullah and Khairullah’s CNICs, observing that there was no evidence questioning their Pakistani citizenship.
The court ruled that the CNICs of the two brothers could not be kept blocked merely because Kifayatullah’s data had matched an Afghan Citizen Card record.
It observed that no evidence had been presented against Muhammadullah and Khairullah that could justify keeping their CNICs blocked.
Regarding Kifayatullah, the court said he could approach the relevant authorities and seek cancellation of the Afghan Citizen Card record with which his data had matched.
The court disposed of the petition in light of its observations and directions.
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