Description

In Mst. Zahra and Another v. Ministry of Interior through Secretary, Government of Pakistan (PLD 2013 Balochistan 133), NADRA refused to issue and renew the CNIC of a lady and her daughter belonging to the Hazara Community. The court not only directed the concerned authorities to issue/renew the CNIC of the petitioners within 30 days but also directed to pay Rs.5,000/- to each petitioner as compensatory costs. The Court also observed that: 

In conclusion we are constrained to observe that a large number of cases of nonissuance of CNICs in respect of persons belonging to the ethnic Hazara community are coming before us. The petitioners too belong to this community. It may be that there is a bias or prejudice against this community amongst the concerned local officers of NADRA. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan absolutely forbids any sort of discrimination, and in fact Article 33 of the Principles of Policy states, that, ʽthe State shall discourage parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices among the citizens’. It is incumbent upon the respondents to stamp out any such bias or prejudice and to instruct their officers in this regard.