Court moved against over 100pc increase in CNIC fee

PESHAWAR: A petition was moved in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday challenging notification of the federal government about over 100 percent increase in fees for the computerised national identity cards (CNICs) in all categories.

Senior lawyer Muhammad Khurshid Khan filed the writ petition, seeking the court order to set aside the notification.

The petitioner submitted that the federal government through a statutory notification (SRO) had increased the fee for CNICs in all categories by more than hundred percent.

The fee has been doubled in all the categories while in the category of urgent CNIC the fee has been increased up to 300 percent.

According to the notification of the Interior Ministry, the normal fees for the CNICs has been increased from Rs200 to Rs400; urgent from Rs300 to Rs1150 and the fee for executive CNIC (Teslin-based) has been increased from Rs1,000 to Rs2,150.

Similarly, the fee for the normal smart card (chip-based CNIC) has been increased from Rs400 to Rs750; the urgent smart card from Rs800 to Rs1,500 and executive smart card from Rs1,600 to Rs2,500.

The new rates of NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) have also been fixed.

The fee for normal smart NICOP (chip-based card) has been fixed at $39; urgent NICOP $57 and executive NICOP at $75 for Zone-A countries including Europe, the US and Canada.

For Middle East countries, which fall in Zone-B category, the new rates for smart NICOP (chip-based) normal has been fixed at $20, $30 for urgent and $40 for executive smart NICOP.

According to the notification, $3 less would be charged for all categories of NICOPs having Teslin-based cards (without chip).

The government of Pakistan through Ministry of Interior and director general Nadra were made respondents in the petition. The lawyer contended that the increase is in violation of the fundamental rights of the people as still millions of citizens are deprived of CNICs.

The petitioner pointed out that Nadra is a government institution and should be not run on profit and loss principle.

He said the basic purpose of government institution is to facilitate citizens not to put them in difficulties as poor people would not be in a position to get CNIC.

It was also prayed before the court to inquire from the respondents on whose order the increase was made and under what formula.

An interim relief, the petitioner requested the court to suspend the notification and stop Nadra from increased fee till decision in the case.