Hafiz Hamdullah’s citizenship issue: IHC suspends Nadra decision, seeks reply within two weeks

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday suspended the National Database and Registration Authority’s (Nadra) decision of cancelling the citizenship of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) senior leader Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor and sought its reply within two weeks.

Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah took up the petition of Hafiz Hamdullah against the Nadra decision.

In his petition, Hafiz Hamdullah stated that his Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) had been blocked and requested the court to nullify the Nadra’s decision and stop the interior ministry from taking any further action.

Hamdullah told the court that he had submitted an application to the Nadra last week but no action was taken by the department.

To this, the Nadra replied that a letter was written to Hafiz Hamdullah for the first time in December 2018 that his documents submitted to a district level committee were fake and the committee had also been informed.

Justice Athar Minallah inquired about Hafiz Hamdullah’s children and their CNICs.

The applicant’s counsel told him that they held the CNICs and one of his sons was serving in the Pakistan Army.

Justice Athar Minallah remarked how the nationality of a person could be questioned who was willing to sacrifice his son for the motherland.

Hearing the arguments, the IHC suspended the decision and barred the Nadra and the interior ministry from further action till next order.

Earlier, the Nadra through its order U/S 18(1) and 17(2) blocked Hafiz Hamdullah’s CNIC terming him a “confirmed alien” and also directed all the TV channels to refrain from inviting and projecting Hamdullah Saboor in their programmes, talk shows, news etc.