Lahore High Court declares family courts have no authority to block citizens’ CNICs

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that Family Courts have no legal authority to order the blocking of a citizen's Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC),

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that Family Courts have no legal authority to order the blocking of a citizen’s Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), declaring such orders unlawful and setting aside the decisions of both the Family Court and the Sessions Court in the case.

Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabbir announced the verdict in an eight-page written judgment while allowing a petition filed by citizen Nasir Ali Ranjha, who had challenged the blocking of his CNIC.

The court held that a CNIC serves as proof of a citizen’s identity and that this fundamental right cannot be taken away through an order of a Family Court. It observed that a CNIC cannot be blocked by a Family Court under any circumstances.

The judgment further stated that the issue of blocking CNICs has already been addressed by the Supreme Court, and the subordinate courts were required to act in accordance with the apex court’s directives.

According to the judgment, the petitioner’s wife had approached the Family Court to enforce a decree in a maintenance (maintenance and financial support) case, following which the Family Court ordered the blocking of the petitioner’s CNIC.

Counsel for the petitioner argued that the Family Court’s order was challenged before the Sessions Court in Gujrat, but the appeal was dismissed. The lawyer further submitted that the petitioner was not present in Pakistan when he was summoned by the Family Court.

Setting aside the decisions of both the Family Court and the Sessions Court, the Lahore High Court ruled that subordinate courts cannot direct the blocking of a citizen’s CNIC, reaffirming that the identity document is a fundamental means of establishing a person’s legal identity and cannot be withheld through such orders.