LAHORE - The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) told the Lahore High Court on Tuesday that the computerised national identity card (CNIC) of a transgender had been renewed with the name of his ‘guru’ as parent.

Justice Shahid Karim took up the matter moved by Mian Asia, a transgender man, seeking action against Nadra for not issuing him identity card with the name of his guru.

During the proceedings, an official representing Nadra submitted a report which stated that the grievance of the petitioner had been redressed as a fresh CNIC had been issued to him as per the previous details. A comprehensive procedure for issuance of CNIC to transgender had also been devised which was similar to the procedure of orphans with unknown parentage, the official told the court. The transgender people would be issued CNICs with the name of their gurus as parents and would be asked to provide witness of any CNIC, he further said. The report said that registration of gurus would be carried out at Nadra headquarter through a module already being used for registration of orphanage.

Nadra also said that registered guru would be the head of applicant (transgender person) and applicant’s parentage would be processed by selecting random parents name from the database if his parentage is not known. The head of applicant would give biometric verification.

In his petition, Mian Asia had stated that earlier he was issued CNIC in 2004 with parental name of Muhammad Yousaf (guru), who died in 2005. His counsel, Mehtab Chughtai argued that the identity card of the petitioner expired in 2011 and he visited the Nadra office concerned for the renewal of the card on the same family details. He said the petitioner also provided death certificate of his guru to the Nadra officials but they refused to renew the card of the petitioner with the name of his late guru as parent.

After Nadra’s report, Justice Karim disposed of the petition.