Islamabad High Court gives DC office five days to issue domicile to Lakki Marwat applicant
Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar says the deputy commissioner must appear in person if the certificate is not issued within the deadline.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday directed the deputy commissioner’s office to issue an Islamabad domicile certificate to Hammadullah, a petitioner from Lakki Marwat, within five days. Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar directed the deputy commissioner to appear in person if the office missed the deadline.
The direction came during a hearing on Hammadullah’s petition seeking the certificate. A lower division clerk appearing for the district administration told the court that a domicile certificate was issued one year after an applicant obtained a no-objection certificate, or NOC, from another district. The chief justice asked why Hammadullah should have to wait another year once the NOC had been obtained.
Justice Dogar also questioned why the administration had sent a junior clerk to represent it. After asking the representative to identify his post, the chief justice observed that the deputy commissioner, assistant commissioner and superintendent were all absent. The court adjourned further proceedings until next week.
What Islamabad’s Published Domicile Guidance Says
The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration lists two separate requirements. An applicant whose identity card carries addresses in different districts may need an NOC from the district concerned. For an applicant who already holds a domicile from another district, the administration says the existing certificate must first be cancelled and that the one-year period runs from the date of cancellation. The published guidance does not list a one-year wait from the date an NOC is issued.
The published guidance lists seven days as the routine processing time. The five-day deadline reported from Wednesday’s hearing applies to Hammadullah’s application. The available hearing reports do not establish whether he previously held a domicile certificate or when any such certificate was cancelled. Islamabad Tribune could not independently verify the written court order.
