Islamabad: Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that the Sindh High Court’s directive to block citizens’ national identity cards (NICs) to enforce a court judgment is illegal. The apex court emphasized that depriving a person of their identity card amounts to stripping them of a fundamental right to live.

Justice Muneeb Akhtar issued a three-page written verdict, stating that the national identity card is not a luxury but a basic necessity for everyday life. He posed a rhetorical question: “Will courts tomorrow also order disconnection of electricity and water to recover money?”

The Supreme Court noted that under Section 51 of the Civil Procedure Code, there is no provision allowing a national identity card to be blocked. Any attempt to do so is a violation of a citizen’s basic rights. The judgment further clarified that amendments made in the Peshawar High Court’s CPC cannot be applied to Sindh, and no court can block an individual’s ID card without explicit legal authority.

The case dates back to 2016, when a trial court issued a decree against the petitioner for failing to repay a sum of money. The trial court had ordered the petitioner’s ID card to be blocked due to non-payment, and the Sindh High Court had upheld that decision. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling overturned the high court’s order, reinforcing that fundamental rights cannot be curtailed to enforce financial judgments.