ISLAMABAD, May 15: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Iqbal Hameedur Rehman on Tuesday directed the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to prepare computerised national identity card (CNIC) for Kashmiri migrants residing in Pakistan.

The court passed the order while disposing of the petitions filed by some Kashmiri migrants who approached it after Nadra refused to issue them CNICs.

Owaisul Islam, counsel for the migrants, told the court that the petitioners, by virtue of Section 14-B of Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951, are Pakistani citizens and could not be deprived of living in Pakistan. He requested the court to direct the respondents to issue CNICs to his clients.

Deputy Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri told the court that according to reports of secret agencies, a few agents of Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were trying to apply for Pakistani citizenship in the garb of Kashmiri migrants and the interior ministry suggested to mark CNICs of migrants from the Indian-held Kashmir with the word “refugee”.

Saqib Jamal, Nadra manager (legal), told the court that they had verified information provided by the migrants and found some of them incorrect. The court disposed of the petition with the direction to Nadra to consider cases of the migrants in accordance with the law. —A Reporter