PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the National Database and Registration Authority to respond to a petition against the blocking of over 4,000 computerised national identity cards of Totakhel tribesmen in Mohmand Agency.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Ikramullah Khan directed the Nadra director general to file comments on the petition within 15 days.

It issued directives after preliminary hearing into the petition filed by the representatives of Totakhel tribe, Haji Salam Darvesh, and many others.

Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik, lawyer for the petitioners, said his clients belonged to Totakhel tribe of Mohmand Agency and that they were born in the said agency and had been living there.

He said few months ago, the Nadra had blocked CNICs of 4,351 tribesmen of the said tribe without assigning any reason.

The lawyer said the said area was situated in Pakistani territory and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah had also declared the said area a subdivision of Mohmand Agency.

He stated that all these tribesmen possessed domicile of Mohmand Agency and their CNIC forms were properly attested by the tribal administration of the said agency. He added that the security agencies had also declared the petitionersas permanent residents of Pakistan but despite that their cards had been blocked by the Nadra.

D E S E A L I N G ORDERED: A high court bench consisting of Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim ordered the de-sealing of four private educational institutions in posh University Town area.

The Institute of Professional Studies, School of Excellence in Education and Development Studies, School of Accountancy and College of British Education System were sealed by the town administration on account of being situated in the residential area.

While suspending the order of the sealing of the said educational institutions, the bench directed the town administration to file written reply on the petition until Nov 1.

Syed Ghufranullah Shah, lawyer for the petitioners, said few days ago, the town administration had sealed the premises in question, while examinations were in progress.

He added that the action taken by the town administration would waste the preclous time of students.

The lawyer said after the introduction of the Local Government Act 2013, the previous law ceased to exist.

He said the current town administration hadn`t been given protection in the new local government law and therefore, the University Town administration had been acting in an illegal manner.

The lawyer insisted the administration had no legal powers to seal those educational institutions.