PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday sought comments from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) director general in a writ petition challenging the recent increase in fee for different categories of computerised national identity card (CNIC).

The bench comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Mohammad Ayub Khan directed that the reply should be furnished within a fortnight. The bench issued the order after preliminary arguments of the petitioner, Mohammad Khurshed Khan, who claimed that around 100 per cent increase in CNIC fee was unjustified. The petitioner has requested the court to set aside the impugned notification issued by the federal government on April 24 as it was a burden on poor people.

The respondents in the petition include the federal government through secretary interior and Nadra through its director general.

The petitioner contended that the government had increased different categories of CNIC fee manifold without any plausible reason. He stated that urgent fee for CNIC was increased from Rs500 to Rs1,150 and the fee for executive CNIC from Rs1,000 to Rs 2,150. He said that the fee for normal smart card had been increased from Rs400 to Rs750; urgent smart card from Rs800 to Rs1,500 and executive smart card from Rs1,600 to Rs2,500.

Khursheed Khan requested that till final disposal of his writ petition the impugned notification might be suspended.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2018