PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday directed the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to process, within six months, the application of an Afghan citizen seeking a Pakistan Origin Card (POC).
The court barred authorities from deporting him during this period.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal issued the order while hearing a petition filed by Pakistani national Maryam Bibi on behalf of her Afghan husband Ismail and their children.
During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel, Hamza Durrani and Ameenullah Kundi, informed the court that Maryam Bibi, a Pakistani citizen, had married Ismail, an Afghan national, and the couple had children.
They said Ismail had applied for a POC with Nadra, but no progress was made, compelling them to approach the court.
The lawyers said that several judgments by the Peshawar High Court and other superior courts supported the issuance of POCs in similar cases where marriages were legally intact.
They argued that since the marriage was still valid, the court should order Nadra and other authorities concerned to issue the POC to the petitioner’s husband as per law.
The bench directed the Pakistani spouse to apply for a naturalization certificate under the Naturalization Act, while instructing the petitioner to approach Nadra’s service delivery system regarding their children’s citizenship status under the applicable laws.
