Sindh High Court Declares Lower Court Order on CNIC Blocking Null and Void

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has set aside a subordinate court’s order regarding the blocking of a citizen’s Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) in a financial dispute case.
Justice Muhammad Hassan Akbar issued a written judgment on a petition challenging the CNIC blocking order issued by a Senior Civil Judge (South).
In its ruling, the court held that blocking a CNIC is illegal and amounts to a violation of fundamental rights. It further observed that no law provides any legal basis for blocking a citizen’s identity card.
The judgment noted that the Supreme Court has already clarified that there is no provision in law permitting CNIC blocking. It added that neither the Code of Criminal Procedure nor any other relevant legislation contains such authority.
The court also stated that even under the NADRA Ordinance 2000, the practice of blocking CNICs is discouraged. It emphasized that blocking a CNIC effectively paralyzes a citizen’s life.
According to the ruling, suspension of CNIC services severely impacts access to education, healthcare, employment, and banking facilities.
The petitioner, Muhammad Rashid, had challenged the order of the Senior Civil Judge (South) that led to the blocking of his CNIC in a financial dispute matter.