Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, addressed a policy inconsistency concerning naming married women’s passports. The practice requires choosing between a husband’s and father’s name, which differs from NADRA’s practices.
Khadija Bukhari, a lawyer and petitioner, brought this issue to light on the local news channel Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’. She highlighted that while NADRA allowed her to retain her father’s name on her CNIC, the passport authority insisted on including her husband’s name. Bukhari’s concerns focus on the inconvenience this policy might cause for women who wish to maintain their father’s name after marriage or divorce.
Bukhari’s case has sparked a debate about institutional discrimination against women. This is especially pertinent in divorce situations where a woman’s identity remains linked to a former husband.
Kazi refrained from commenting directly on Bukhari’s ongoing case, citing its subjudice status. He noted differences between passport and NADRA records; passports are international documents and must align with international standards.
Kazi explained that issues often arise when women travel with children under passports bearing their father’s name, complicating the verification of biological relationships if the children’s father is absent.
The DG also noted frequent litigations faced by the passport authority, especially when divorces are not formally documented, complicating issues around children’s custodianship.
Kazi confirmed that it is permissible for a married woman to include her husband’s name in her passport. For divorced women, passport modifications include an option to mention an ex-husband’s name.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has responded by forming a committee headed by Interior Secretary Khurram Ali Agha to address these issues. The committee aims to review passport policies for women and devise solutions that consider their convenience and legal rights, seeking to resolve the matter promptly as per existing rules and regulations.
