By Hasnaat Malik
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has sought report from the provincial governments and District Coordination Officers (DCO) to submit report on the registration of illegitimate children within two weeks.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the application of Abdul Sattar Edhi, who has requested the SC to devise a legal strategy to resolve the sensitive and complex issue of registering children of unknown parentage to enable them to live their lives with dignity and respect.
Edhi has approached the SC to give these children an identity independent of a legally mandated guardian. He has also cited in the application that the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) had refused to register a minor and informed his daughter Kubra that the registration process could not be initiated without the child’s guardian.
During the hearing, the counsel for NADRA, Afnan Karim Kundi submitted that provincial governments had already framed the rules regarding the registration of illegitimate children. He said that DCOs were implementing these rules in the provinces.
CJP observed that this is a very sensitive and important issue, which needed to be heard in details. The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
Earlier, the court had asked the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and Justice (retd) Khalilur Rehman Ramday for their opinion on registering children with unknown parentage in light of Shariah. Justice (retd) Ramday has suggested; “The NADRA and learned Guardians Judges in the country could be directed to deal with the matter of guardianship of children of unknown parentage expeditiously and without causing any delay or inconvenience, which avoidable, whenever approached for the purpose.” He also suggested implementing 1955 Act regarding the matter.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has sought report from the provincial governments and District Coordination Officers (DCO) to submit report on the registration of illegitimate children within two weeks.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the application of Abdul Sattar Edhi, who has requested the SC to devise a legal strategy to resolve the sensitive and complex issue of registering children of unknown parentage to enable them to live their lives with dignity and respect.
Edhi has approached the SC to give these children an identity independent of a legally mandated guardian. He has also cited in the application that the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) had refused to register a minor and informed his daughter Kubra that the registration process could not be initiated without the child’s guardian.
During the hearing, the counsel for NADRA, Afnan Karim Kundi submitted that provincial governments had already framed the rules regarding the registration of illegitimate children. He said that DCOs were implementing these rules in the provinces.
CJP observed that this is a very sensitive and important issue, which needed to be heard in details. The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.
Earlier, the court had asked the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and Justice (retd) Khalilur Rehman Ramday for their opinion on registering children with unknown parentage in light of Shariah. Justice (retd) Ramday has suggested; “The NADRA and learned Guardians Judges in the country could be directed to deal with the matter of guardianship of children of unknown parentage expeditiously and without causing any delay or inconvenience, which avoidable, whenever approached for the purpose.” He also suggested implementing 1955 Act regarding the matter.
