LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has instructed the immigration and passport department to complete its consultative process within three months and amend the rules to allow women to retain their father’s name on their computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport, regardless of their marital status.
The directive came from Justice Asim Hafeez in response to a petition by Mehr Bano Langrial, who sought the right for married women to keep their father’s name on identity documents. Additional Attorney General Mirza Nasar Ahmad noted that the federal government did not oppose the petition.
According to media reports, Attaur Rehman, the Additional Director of Immigration and Passport, explained that the ongoing consultative process includes necessary policy and rule changes, such as revising passport details and informing border control authorities in various countries. He indicated that these changes will take some time.
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Justice Hafeez acknowledged that the government effectively recognised this right for women but clarified that it would not impact policies regarding children’s passports.
The judge mandated the immigration and passport department to complete the consultative process and amend passport formatting within three months. He emphasised the importance of data synchronisation between the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the immigration department.
Currently, NADRA’s policy allows married women to retain their father’s name on CNICs. However, the Directorate General of Immigration and Passport requires married women to update their CNICs with their husband’s name for passport issuance.
