PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday disposed of hundreds of constitutional petitions concerning the cancellation of Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), claims of Pakistani citizenship, and the lack of documentary proof about the status of applications submitted to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
A division bench comprising Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Farah Jamshed heard the petitions, directing Nadra officials to take appropriate measures in accordance with the law.The petitions were filed through Malik Shahbaz, Saif Mohibullah, Faheem Marwat and Muhammad Irfan.
The petitioners contended that they had approached Nadra for the cancellation of their ACCs and other refugee-related documents to obtain Pakistani identity documents. However, they alleged that Nadra was not providing any written acknowledgment or documentary proof indicating whether their applications had been received, were under process, approved or rejected.
During the hearing, senior Nadra officials informed the court that more than 24,000 applications had been received for the cancellation of ACCs and related documents. Of these, around 2,200 applications had been approved, while over 6,000 applicants did not return to complete the required process. The officials said that a large number of applications had been rejected because the applicants failed to establish their Pakistani citizenship.
Counsel for the petitioners argued that applicants should be provided with written documentation regarding the status of their cases to ensure transparency and enable them to effectively pursue their legal rights and remedies.
The court also discussed the grievance redressal mechanism relating to Pakistan Origin Cards (POC) and citizenship matters.The bench sought details about the functioning of the Grievance Redressal Committee, while the counsel for the petitioners proposed the introduction of an effective and direct system, including email-based submissions, to enable affected individuals to lodge complaints and communicate with the relevant authorities.
