IHC orders awarding citizenship to Afghan man

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday instructed the Interior Ministry to take measures for awarding Pakistani citizenship to a 24-year-old Afghan national.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case filed by Fazal Haq, who belongs to an Afghan migrated family. The petitioner adopted the stance that he was born in Pakistan and was living here for the last 24 years. The chief justice remarked that like many countries, including America, our law also was bound to give citizenship to a person born here.

The petitioner was required to produce just birth certificate, he added. The court directed the Interior Ministry to conclude its legal work regarding the citizenship of petitioner till next Friday. The officials of the ministry assured the court that the decision regarding the citizenship would be taken after birth certificate was received.