PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by former woman of ficial of the National Database and Registration Authority seeking cancelation of a case registered against her for issuing Pakistani computerised national identity card to the National Geographic famed `Afghan girl`, Sharbat Gula.

While rejecting the petition, Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Lal Jan Khattak observed that the petitioner, Palwasha Afridi, who was an assistant deputy director at Nadra when the illegal CNIC was issued to Sharbat Gula, had already approached the special anti-corruption and immigration court for pre-arrest bail and that petition was pending a decision there.

On Oct 20, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered a case against Ms Palwasha and two other former Nadra employees for allegedly issuing CNICs to Ms Gula and two other Afghans shown as her sons.The FIR says after completion of inquiry number 4/2015 and checking of Nadra records it has been established that three employees of Nadra Peshawar office identified as Palwasha Afridi, Mohsin Ehsan and Emad fraudulently issued Pakistani identity cards to Afghan nationals Sharbat Gula, Wali Khan and Rauf Khan.

They were charged under sections 409, 419, 420, 468, 471 and 109 of Pakistan Panel Code, Section 5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, and Section 30 of the Nadra Ordinance.

Few days ago, suspect Emad was arrested by FIA and was later sent to prison by the special judge on 14 days judicial remand.

On Wednesday, the petitioner`s counsel argued his client was falsely implicated in the case.

`The petitioner was not in charge of that Nadra registration centre in Hayatabad from where the CNIC was issued to Ms Gula. The Nadra data form clearly states the time and date of application and signature of the person in charge,` he said.

The lawyer said proper procedure was not followed while registering the case as under the Nadra Act, the case could only be registered on basis of a complaint.

He said in that case, the FIA had acted on its own and not on the complaint by any official.

The bench asked how the petitioner could approach the high court when her pre-arrest bail petition was pending with the court of the special anti-corruption judge.The lawyer said that petition was for ball before arrest, whereas the petitioner had approached the high court for quashing the case against her.

GOVT RESTRAINED: The bench restrained the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government from acting against deputy secretary Kabir Afridi, who was recently issued show cause notice in light of the Supreme Court orders for departmental action against officials, who had availed themselves of `voluntary return` scheme under the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

It issued notice to the National Accountability Bureau directing it to clarify position on the matter.

In the list submitted to the Supreme Court by the NAB, the name of the petitioner was also mentioned and it was given that he had paid Rs775,000 as voluntary return deal when an inquiry began about the alleged corruption in the excise department, where the petitioner was serving as the administration director.

Shumail Ahmad Butt, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client`s case was different from other officials` as the names of latter were given in the voluntary return list.

He said initially when the inquiry began, the petitioner was forced to pay the said amount under coercion and that afterwards, the said inquiry was closed as the charge of wrongdoing wasn`t proved.

The lawyer added that the case of the petitioner was not that of voluntary return scheme.