Pakistani men who married Afghan women seek rules relaxation

Say Nadra should be transparent in blocking identity cards

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani man who married an Afghan woman some 30 years back has asked the government to unblock the identity card of his wife as it was creating problems for his children.

Like hundreds of Pakistani women who married Afghan men during their stay in Pakistan, many Pakistani males have also tied the knot with Afghan women and they are now seeking relaxations in rules so that their spouses could stay with them.

The Pakistani women held several demonstrations outside the Peshawar Press Club, asking the authorities to allow their husbands to stay with them in Pakistan. In both the cases, the affected families are asking the authorities to adopt a sympathetic approach and find out a way to solve the issue. 

The sudden announcement by the government to repatriate the Afghan refugees has complicated the situation as it will affect thousands of people. The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has started blocking the identity cards of the Afghan women who married Pakistani men.

Arbab Abdul Aziz, 78, hailing from Tehkal Bala in urban Peshawar married an Afghan woman in 1985. He has five sons and two daughters. One of his daughters is married and now lives in London while the other one is a student.

Narrating his ordeal, the elderly Arbab Abdul Aziz said that Nadra blocked the computerised national identity card (CNIC) of his spouse creating problems for his children. He recalled that he had been running from pillar to post to get the problem resolved, but to no avail. He also complained that Nadra was not taking action indiscriminately.

Arbab Abdul Aziz said, “I even made a list of those Afghan refugees who have somehow got Pakistani CNICs, but Nadra has not blocked their identity cards.He said he would move the court of law to get justice and stop Nadra from causing trouble to families.

“My wife name’s has been added to the voters’ list. She cast her vote in four elections in Pakistan,” he maintained.  He alleged that Nadra had even issued a CNIC to an Afghan national whose father was a member of the Afghan parliament.

“I have sent a letter to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan about this matter. I can prove how Nadra officials included the names of Afghan nationals in the voters’ list,” he claimed.

He asked Nadra to unblock the CNIC of his wife who has spent 31 years in Pakistan. Same is the case with Amanullah, whose three daughters got married in Pakistan. He claimed that an official of Nadra has married an Afghan woman, but her CNIC had not been blocked.

He asked chief justice of Supreme Court to provide him justice. He also claimed that he would send the list of the Afghan refugees who were declared Pakistanis by Nadra officials. This list was also made available to The News.