A Pakistani Christian is finally victorious, following a legal battle that may have significant legal and social consequences for Pakistan’s vulnerable minority communities.
Twenty-two-year-old Rahul Masih is a Catholic worker in the office of a private housing society and has been engaged in a seven-month legal dispute to have his religion corrected on his national identity card. It ended in October of this year, with Bahawalpur Civil Judge Anam Younis directing the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to issue him a new identity card with his name and Christian faith.
His attorney, Lazar Allah Rakha, has said that Masih’s original identity card carried his correct name and faith, but when he lost it and applied for a copy, NADRA issued one where his name was different and his religion was listed as Islam.
Rakha disclosed to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that “Masih made repeated visits to the NADRA office, but his pleas to rectify the mistake were not entertained.”
Masih, therefore, turned to the courts for intervention in the matter, with legal advocacy organisation ADF International supporting him.
As the legal proceedings took place, despite their failure to substantiate their claim with documentary evidence, representatives from NADRA insisted that Masih was a willing convert to Islam and registered himself as a Muslim. Masih’s Christian parents, however, gave testimony about his faith. Masih, in addition, presented his baptism and school certificates, which supported his claim to being a lifelong Christian.
Legal implications
Legally, it is easier for a person to change their identity to Muslim than it is for them to change it from Muslim to another religion due to opposition from the authorities. In the past, reports have indicated that requests like Masih’s have been consistently denied, except for cases where an error can be proven.
The existence of these systematic biases can give birth to what Rahka outlines as serious legal, social, and economic disadvantages. In some cases, they may lead to discrimination and life-threatening risks.