Government of Pakistan Will Change Passport Policy for Married, Divorced Women
Mustafa Jamal Kazi, the director general of immigration and passports, clarified the directorate’s position on Thursday regarding the disparity between the policies of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and the authority that issues passports for married women.
The issue concerns the requirement that a “married woman’s” passport have her husband’s name on it rather than her father’s; this change has sparked concerns about the policy’s discriminatory nature against women as well as inconsistencies between the policies of two government organizations that hold national citizen data.
Khadija Bukhari, a lawyer and petitioner in the case being heard at the Lahore High Court, discussed the issue that could cause inconvenience and distress for women who want to retain their father’s name on their identification documents, regardless of whether they remain married or divorced.
Bukhari claimed that because she decided to keep her father’s name on her Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) and to include her marital status, she had no problems having it updated with Nadra after getting married.
The authority’s staff informed her that she needed to mention her spouse and that getting a new CNIC made before getting a passport was mandatory when she wanted to renew her passport using the same process.
The topic brought up by Bukhari sparked a discussion about how government institutions discriminate against women because, even in the event of a divorce, the woman’s identity will be inextricably linked to her ex-husband.
Kazi responded to the argument made in the Geo News program but declined to comment on the particular case, calling it subjudice.
He clarified that the records of Nadra and the passport are not the same, stating that the latter’s registration is local and will only be utilized in Pakistan, while the former is an international document created in compliance with international agreements.
“Usually, women encounter problems when they travel with their children and their passports are created in their father’s name. If the children’s father is not traveling with them, it becomes more challenging to ascertain their biological relationship, according to the DG Passport.
According to him, the passport authority has dealt with legal cases in the past few years involving divorces that are not legally recognized. Kazi argued that Nikah and divorce are legal requirements that citizens must register and declare.
But when these changes are not formally recorded and announced, problems occur, and this also brings up concerns about child custody.
“It is legal for a married woman to enter her husband’s name along with her name in the passport,” he stated.
In response to a question regarding how a divorced woman will handle the situation, the DG Passport stated that changes will be made to the passports and the addition of a box to include the name of the ex-husband will take place.
The interior minister creates a committee to handle the passport problem
Interior Secretary Khurram Ali Agha has been appointed as the head of a committee that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi formed to address the issue.
Naqvi has instructed the committee to examine every problem concerning women’s passports and come up with a practical solution.
Naqvi commanded that recommendations be made with married women’s ease and convenience in mind. She also mentioned that the ministry is trying to find a quick fix in accordance with the laws and regulations.
