Supreme Court overturns SHC decision to block citizen's ID card
Pakistan
Supreme Court declares Sindh High Court order blocking ID cards illegal, ruling it violates fundamental rights; courts cannot suspend ID cards without clear legal authorization.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has declared the Sindh High Court’s order to block national identity cards as illegal. Justice Muneeb Akhtar of the Supreme Court issued a detailed three-page verdict stating that ID cards cannot be blocked as a means to enforce court orders.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that a national identity card is not a luxury but a fundamental necessity for everyday life.
Justice Muneeb Akhtar questioned whether courts could also order the disconnection of electricity or water connections to recover dues, highlighting the overreach of such measures.
The judgment stated that depriving any citizen of their ID card is equivalent to denying a basic right to life. Under Section 51 of the Civil Procedure Code, there is no provision for blocking an identity card, and amendments made in the Peshawar High Court’s CPC do not apply to the province of Sindh.
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The Supreme Court clarified that without explicit legal authorization, no court has the power to block a citizen’s ID card.
This ruling comes in a case where, in 2016, a trial court had issued a decree against the petitioner for non-payment of dues.
The trial court had ordered the petitioner’s ID card to be blocked, and the Sindh High Court had previously upheld that decision.
The Supreme Court’s verdict now overturns that order, reinforcing citizens’ fundamental rights.
