Legal Principle & Question Decided

Ruling Summary: This decision was rendered by the Sindh High Court, officially reported as 2025 SHC 153. In this matter between Const. P. 1680/2025 (D.B.) Sindh High Court, Karachi - Mst. Haleema (Petitioner) and the Respondent, the court adjudicated key questions of statutory construction, procedural regularity, and legal precedent under Pakistani law.

Core Holding: The honorable bench evaluated governing statutory provisions and judicial authorities to establish the rights of the parties, delivering the binding reasoning set out below.

Full Judgment Text & Judicial Ruling

COURT: Sindh High Court CASE NO: Const. P. 1680/2025 (D.B.) Sindh High Court, Karachi CITATION: 2026 SHC KHI 153 PARTIES: Mst. Haleema (Petitioner) ORDER DATE: 28-JAN-26 BENCH: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon(Author), Hon'ble Mr. Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi A.F.R: Yes ------------------------------------------------------------ ORDER SHEET THE HIGH COURT OF SINDH AT KARACHI C.P. No.D-1680 of 2025 (Mst. Haleema & others v Chairman NADRA & others) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Order with signature(s) of the Judge(s) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mr. Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon Mr. Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sanghi

Date of hearing and order:- 28.01.2026.

Mr. Farooq Rashid, Advocate for the Petitioner. Mr. Abdul Samad, Counsel for the NADRA. Mr. Mohammad Ahmed, Assistant Attorney General. ------------- O R D E R Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, J.- Petitioners have filed this Petition under Article 199 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, seeking the following reliefs:

A) Declare and hold that the Respondents' action of blocking Petitioners Nos 1 and 2 and other children of Petitioner illegal and unconstitutional.

B) Direct Respondents to immediately unblock the petitioner No. 1 and other children of Petitioner No. 3.

C) May pass any such direction/order that this Hon'ble deem fit and proper.

D) Costs of the proceedings.

2. The Petitioners' counsel submits that the Petitioner is residing in Dubai, comprising Petitioner No. 1, wife of Petitioner No. 3, Petitioner No. 2, their son, and other minor children. The Petition is filed through their duly authorized attorney, as all Petitioners are abroad. Each Petitioner holds Pakistani nationality, with separate CNICs and Passports, and Petitioner No. 3 is recognized as the head of the family under NADRA laws, with the others recorded as his dependents. He submitted that in 2021, the AQAMA of Petitioner No. 2 expired while he was studying in Dubai. On attempting its renewal, the UAE authorities informed him that his CNIC was blocked, preventing the extension. Petitioner No. 3 immediately contacted the relevant authorities to unblock th e CNICs of his family, but received no response. Consequently, he filed civil suits in Balochistan and Karachi; however, these were dismissed or withdrawn due to objections on

jurisdiction. He added that Petitioner No. 3 subsequently appeared before the Verification Board, completed all formalities, and successfully had his CNIC unblocked after paying the prescribed fee. He emphasized that despite repeated requests, the CNICs of Petitioner No. 1, Petitioner No. 2, and other minor children remain blocked. He argued that the Petitioners have made multiple attempts to obtain redress from the Respondents, including written communications, but no satisfactory response has been provided. The Petitioners' counsel submits that the Respondents’ refusal to unblock the CNICs is illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory, and in violation of fundamental rights, including the right to dignity, movement, education, employment, property, and fair process. He next submitted that all necessary documents and SOP requirements have been fulfilled, yet the Respondents continue to withhold the CNICs, causing undue hardship and inconvenience to the Petitioners. He prayed to allow this Petition. 3. Counsel for NADRA submitted that, as per the report, the petitioners’ family is under suspicio n (Zone ID ZO30B0014809 dated 25.10.2025) as per the Court’s directions. However, t he compliance report states that the Zonal Board forwarded the case of the petitioners to the V&R Branch on 29.10.2025. The petitioner provided her parents’ MNICs but could not submit verifiable evidence for her Alpha Family Record as required by the MOI Notification dated 05.01.2018, which mandates documentation issued before 1979. He added that the petitioner’s father’s Alpha family tree shows Mirza Khan bearing CNIC 42000 - 7131199-9 as paternal uncle with a different mother and MNIC 506 -56-247430. However, he stressed that V&R Branch will handle the matter if the petitioner approaches them again , his case will definitely be processed without fail . NADRA counsel requested directions for the petitioner to appear before the V&R Branch for case processing. 4. The petitioner’s counsel agreed and seeks the disposal of the petition in terms of the statement of the learned counsel for NADRA 5. In view of the submissions made by th e learned counsel for NADRA, it appears that the delay in unblocking the CNICs of Petitioners No. 1, 2, and their minor children arises due to incomplete verification of certain historical family records as required under the Ministry of Interior Notification dated 05.01.2018. 6. The law officer of NADRA has confirmed that the verification process will be duly conducted by the Verification & Registration (V&R) Branch if the Petitioners approach them with the requisite documentation.

7. Accordingly, the Petitioners are directed to appear before the V&R Branch of NADRA for submission of any outstanding documents and to facilitate the verification process. Upon compliance, NADRA shall process the case in accordance with law and unblock the CNICs without undue delay. 8. The petition is disposed of with the above directions, leaving the parties to bear their own costs. JUDGE

JUDGE Farooq PS/.

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