ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday suspended a Peshawar High Court (PHC) order directing authorities to issue a Pakistani Origin Card (POC) to an Afghan man married to a Pakistani woman, 24NewsHD TV reported.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Shahid Waheed, heard the case. During the proceedings, the Additional Attorney General (AAG) informed the court that the federal government had filed an appeal against the PHC order issued on December 1, 2023.
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He explained that while the government had no objection to the issuance of a POC, it objected to the part of the ruling which implied that the Afghan husband should also be granted Pakistani nationality.
Justice Musarrat Hilali inquired about the legal basis for granting citizenship and the number of applicants, to which the AAG responded that 117 applicants were currently under consideration. Justice Hilali further noted that these were only those applicants already known to the authorities.
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Counsel for NADRA added that a valid Pakistani visa was a mandatory condition for Afghan nationals seeking such status. The AAG also mentioned that contempt petitions had been filed following the PHC’s verdict.
After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court issued notices to all concerned parties and adjourned the hearing indefinitely.