Afghanistan boy gets Pakistan’s citizenship after 24 years of struggle
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the Interior Ministry to decide the application of the 24-year-old Afghan boy, who was born in family of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, seeking the country’s citizenship according to law and submit a report by next Friday.
In the hearing on the petition filed by 24-year-old boy Fazal Haq, born in a family of Afghan refugees, to get Pakistan’s citizenship, Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah said that court has reviewed the previous verdict given in the case of Senator Hamdullah.
CJ IHC Minallah said Pakistani law allowed citizenship to every child born in the country, ordering the interior ministry to complete the legal process in the case by next Friday, Oct. 28, and submit a report.
On the other hand, the lawyer of the petitioner, Advocate Umar Gilani, said “his client spent 24 years in Pakistan without any citizenship. The court ordered to grant petitioner Pakistani nationality.”
The interior ministry’s counsel assured the court that the ministry would immediately verify the birth certificate of the Afghan.
