Pakistani woman says her case will benefit others after securing identity card through court ruling

KARACHI: A 31-year-old disabled Pakistani woman, who managed to secure her computerized national identity card (CNIC) last week in the absence of her father’s citizenship record after fighting a legal battle, told Arab News on Tuesday she was happy that her case would help others like her in the future.
The Sindh High Court in a landmark ruling on Saturday ordered the country’s National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to issue a CNIC to Rubina, who goes by just one name, on the basis of her mother’s record available with the state.
Rubina and her mother were abandoned by her father soon after she was born.
Subsequently, she was raised by her mother who worked with the education department as a peon but retired recently.
Due to the codal formalities, however, NADRA officials refused to issue her the CNIC in the absence of information on her father. The situation was further complicated by the fact that Rubina’s mother got her identify card made after her husband left her and the system showed her to be unmarried.
“I am happy that others will not suffer like me,” she said, hoping that her case would now become a precedent. “I used to wait in long queues for my CNIC before being turned down by relevant officials. This situation continued for the last three years.”
Rubina said she needed her basic citizenship document since its absence created plenty of problems for her.
“I needed the CNIC since my mother was reaching the retirement age and I wanted to find a job,” she continued. “I could not even get myself vaccinated against COVID-19 without it.”
Speaking to Arab News, her lawyer Usman Farooq said that Rubina was forced to file a petition.
“She produced every document she had,” he said. “She submitted her mother’s CNIC along with her birth and disability certificates that had names of both her parents. Yet, she was refused the right to be called a Pakistani national.”
Farooq maintained that Rubina’s case would serve as a precedent in the future.
“However, I truly believe that Pakistani authorities should revisit such policies that deprive people of their basic rights,” he added. “Legal battles are costly and people usually lack money or patience for them. They should be given their rights even before they demand them.”
Rubina said her CNIC would now make it possible for her to earn a living.
“I want to send my mother with my own income to perform Hajj or Umrah,” she said. “My mother has raised me, and it is now my turn to do something for her.”
NADRA spokesperson could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.