ISLAMABAD, Aug 19: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to immediately shut down its offices at Soan Gardens and adjacent areas for allegedly issuing computerised national identity cards (CNICs) to the employees of Bahria Town.

A three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ghulam Rabbani had taken up complaints on a suo motu regarding issuance of 20,000 bogus CNICs to the employees of Bahria Town by changing their temporary addresses.

“It is against the prestige of a national institution to indulge in such malpractices,” the chief justice observed, adding that Nadra offices should not operate from the “drawing rooms of people's residences”.

The objective behind issuing CNICs in such a large number, according to the complainants, was to influence the next election in NA-52 – a famous National Assembly seat from Rawalpindi known as the home constituency of PML-N stalwart and leader of the opposition in the lower house, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

A majority of the people living in the constituency are settlers with residential addresses of other localities of the twin cities or other parts of the country. By changing the addresses in the CNICs, the complainants said effort was being made to make settlers permanent voters of NA-52 for the next general election.

The constituency has been in the news because of the friction between the property tycoon, Malik Riaz, and the PML-N leader.

Recently Rawalpindi police had registered separate criminal cases against Chaudhry Nisar and over a dozen PML-N workers following a brawl over pulling down huge banners put up in Koral against the PML-N stalwart. The cases were registered on the complaint of a local newspaper, Jinnah – published by Malik Riaz.

During the proceedings on Friday, Mohammad Hashmi, one of the complainants, told the court that Malik Riaz had ordered his 20,000 workers to get their new identity cards having address of Bahria Town – a move that negates the fundamental right of the voters of NA-52. He was of the view that around 4,100 identity cards have been issued to workers of the housing society thus far.

Meanwhile Advocate Raza Kazim, the counsel representing Nadra, pleaded for time to prepare a suitable reply, stating it was the authority's mandate to collect data of all citizens.

“We function in accordance with the rules and regulations without succumbing into pressure from any side,” the counsel argued.

In its order, the court stated that the objective of issuing CNICs was to use them for getting registered in the electoral list. By doing so the genuine residents of the constituency would not be able to elect a member of their own choice, the court said and ordered that in such circumstances the offices of the Nadra in Soan Gardens and adjacent areas be closed. The case will again be taken up after three weeks.