LAHORE – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday heard a contempt petition filed by Daray Khan against Interior Secretary Muhammad Khurram Agha for allegedly failing to comply with court orders regarding the pending case of an Afghan-origin family whose Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) were cancelled on the basis of intelligence reports.
The affected family approached the court through their counsel, Advocate Chaudhry Shoaib Saleem. Justice Farooq Haider presided over the hearing and issued a notice to the respondent, seeking a reply within two weeks.
According to the petition, the petitioner had earlier challenged the cancellation of his family’s CNICs through Writ Petition No. 22039/2025, after they were declared Afghan nationals based on intelligence agencies’ reports. In an order dated April 15, 2025, the court had directed the Interior Secretary to decide the petitioner’s application expeditiously, preferably within 30 days, after granting him a right of hearing, and had also restrained authorities from harassing the petitioner in the meantime.
The petitioner contended that despite the lapse of the stipulated period, the respondent failed to comply with the court’s directions. He argued that the continued cancellation of his CNIC caused severe hardship and resulted in the suspension of his fundamental rights, including the ability to buy or sell property, conduct business, carry out banking transactions, and perform other lawful activities requiring a valid CNIC.
He further submitted that he repeatedly visited the respondent’s office and submitted a certified copy of the court order, but no action was taken and no hearing was provided. Terming the inaction as wilful disobedience of the court’s order, he sought initiation of contempt proceedings against the Interior Secretary under Article 204 of the Constitution.
After a preliminary hearing, the court directed the respondent to submit a written reply within two weeks and adjourned the proceedings.
