CNIC blunder leaves Karachi man facing 29 cases

A Karachi resident has approached the Sindh High Court after his Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) number was allegedly linked to a criminal suspect with the same name, leaving him facing legal proceedings for offences he claims he never committed.

The case came before the Sindh High Court during a hearing on the citizen’s petition against the incorrect association of his identity details with a namesake suspect.

According to the petitioner’s lawyer, police records show 29 criminal cases registered against the applicant using his CNIC number. The lawyer said the Pak Colony police had mistakenly linked the citizen’s identity number to another individual who shared his name.

The incorrect entry reportedly had serious consequences for the petitioner. His lawyer told the court that non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against him because of the mistaken record. His CNIC was also blocked, creating further difficulties for him.

The petitioner’s lawyer further informed the court that the citizen had spent a week in police custody because of the erroneous identification. He maintained that the applicant had no connection with the offences attributed to him and had become a victim of a serious administrative mistake.

The lawyer said the authorities had failed to correct the records despite repeated requests. The petitioner has therefore sought the court’s intervention to ensure that the cases wrongly associated with his identity are removed from his record.

After hearing the arguments, the Sindh High Court sought the record of the criminal cases registered under the petitioner’s name and CNIC number.

The court adjourned further proceedings until December 15.