The Lahore High Court (LHC) asked the federal government and immigration authorities on Monday about a rule that says married women need their husband’s name on their National ID cards to get passports.

Khadija Shah, a lawyer, faced a problem when she tried to renew her passport at the LHC’s passport office. They turned her down because her ID card had her father’s name in the “daughter of” section instead of her husband’s name in the “wife of” section.

Khadija said that she had already updated her marriage details with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). According to her, Nadra lets married women keep their father’s name on their ID cards.

But, the passport office told her differently. They said that a woman’s ID card must have her husband’s name to get a passport.

She argued that this rule is not fair and goes against the law. She stated that the passport office cannot just make up rules, stressing that everyone should follow the law.

Khadija also mentioned that this policy of the passport office violates articles 8(1) and 25 of the Constitution.

She has requested the court to declare this discriminatory policy as wrong and against the Constitution.

After hearing this, Judge Raheel Kamran Sheikh gave the concerned departments two weeks to give their answers.

Source: Pro Pakistani