SC wants mechanism to prevent issuance of fake domiciles in Sindh

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed the chief secretary and others to file comments on a petition seeking an inquiry into government jobs allegedly given on the basis of fake domiciles in Sindh.

The apex court also issued a notice to the National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra) to depute any officer to assist in the matter. The petitioner, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan, submitted that the Sindh High Court (SHC) had earlier dismissed his petition with regard to the fake domicile issue and asked him to approach a relevant forum to get the grievances redressed.

He submitted that Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were connected with the Nadra database but no step had been taken in Sindh to check issuance of fake domiciles. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar inquired what the procedure for the issuance of domicile in the province was and whether all the districts were connected with any database.

The SC asked how it was possible that one person got domiciles from Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana without surrendering the previous domiciles. The Malir deputy commissioner submitted that identity cards, residential address and educational documents were verified at the time of issuance of a domicile and if the domicile was found already made in another district, the application was rejected.

The SC observed that it wanted a mechanism to be evolved to prevent the issuance of fake domiciles in Sindh. The apex court observed that the chief secretary and Nadra may file comments on the petition so that an appropriate order could be passed.

The SHC had earlier dismissed MQM-P lawmakers’ petition seeking an inquiry into jobs given on the basis of fake domiciles in the province, and asked the petitioners to approach the relevant forum for the redress of their grievances.

Hasan and other MPAs of that time had submitted in their petition that non-residents of Karachi were being issued domiciles by the government, which would deprive the people of the city of government employment.

They had said domiciles and permanent residence certificates (PRCs) should not be issued to non-residents because it was the right of the residents of the city to apply for government jobs. The petitioners had maintained that non-residents of Karachi had managed to obtain government jobs and admissions to professional universities on the basis of fake domiciles and PRCs on the urban quota, which deprived the citizens of Karachi of government jobs, and admissions to professional colleges and universities.