National Registration Act, 1973

The National Registration Act, 1973

ACT VI OF 1973 

30th July, 1973

An Act to provide for the registration of citizens and issue of identity cards to them

Whereas it is expedient to provide for the registration of citizens and issue of identity cards to them, and for matters ancillary thereto;

It is hereby enacted as follows:--- 

PRELIMINARY

1. Short title, extent, commencement and application.-(l) This Act may be called the National Registration Act, 1973.

(2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Federal Government may by notification in the official Gazette, specify in this behalf, and different dates may be so specified for different areas.

(4) It shall apply to all citizens wherever they may be.

2. Definitions.- ln this Act unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context:

(a) ‘citizen’ means a person who is, or is deemed to be, a citizen of Pakistan, under the Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951 (II of 1951);

(b) ‘prescribed’ means prescribed by rules;

(c) ‘Registration Officer’ means the Director-General or Joint Registrar General or a [Joint Registrar-General or Deputy Registrar-General or Assistant Registrar-General or District Registrar or Registrar or Inspector] or Director appointed under section 3, and includes any officer to whom the powers of any such officer have been delegated under this Act; and

(d) ‘rules’ mean rule made under this Act.

3. Registration Officers.-(l) For the purposes of this Act, the Federal Government may appoint-
(a) a Director-General for the whole of Pakistan;

[(b) a Joint Registrar-General and as many Deputy Registrars-General, Assistant Registrar-General, District Registrars and Inspectors as it may consider necessary.

(2) The Joint Registrar-General and every Deputy Registrar-General, Assistant Registrar-General, District Registrar, Registrar and Inspector shall exercise his powers and perform his functions under this Act and the rules-

(a) within such area as the Registrar-General, subject to the general supervision and control of the Federal Government, may direct; and

(b) under the general supervision and control of, and in accordance with such instructions as may be given in this behalf by, the Registrar-General.]

Appeal to Federal Government against order of cancellation, impounding or confiscation of identity card,’ provision of -hearing not even to affected person amendment suggested accordingly.

4. Registration of citizens.-(l) Within such time as the Federal Government may, by notification in .the official Gazette, specify in his behalf.—

(a) every citizen in or out of Pakistan who has attained the age of eighteen years shall get himself; and

(b) a parent or guardian of every citizen who has not attained that age shall get such citizen, registered in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

[(2) An application for registration shall be made in such form and to such authority as may be prescribed’; and

(3) The birth of a newly born citizen, and the death of a citizen who has not attained the age of eighteen years, shall he reported to the District Registrar by such authority or officer as may be prescribed.

5. Identity Cards.--(1) The Director-General shall cause to be issue to every citizen who has, attainted the age of eighteen years and got himself registered under section 4, a card [in the prescribed form] to this Act, .hereinafter referred to as the identity card.

(2) Every person to whom and identity card is issued shall be responsible for its safe custody and for maintaining it in proper shape.

6. Inspection of identity card.- A Registration Officer or any Gazetted officer under the control of, and authorised by, the Director-General in this behalf may require a person to whom an identity card has been issued to produce the card for inspection before him, or if it is not in his possession when so required, to produce it within such time, before such officer and at such place as the Registration Officer or the officer so authorised may direct.

7. Surrender of identity card.-(1) In case of the death of any holder of an identity card, identity card shall be surrendered or given up to the District Registrar by the spouse, heir of next of kin, as the case may be, of such holder within sixty days of such death.

(2) The holder of an identity card who cases to be a citizen shall surrender or give up his identity card to the District Registration within sixty days of his ceasing to be a citizen.

7-A. National Registration Act (LVI of 1973).- Cancellation, impounding or confiscation of. Appeal against order of. Right of hearing. Held : Right of hearing to be specifically provided to person appealing against order of cancellation, impounding or confiscation of identity card:

[Provided that no order on such appeal shall be passed unless the appellant has been given an opportunity of being heard.]

8. Identity cards necessary for certain purposes.- (1) No citizen who has attained the age of eighteen years but does not possess or produce an identity card shall be granted a passport, permit or other travel document for going out of Pakistan.

(2) Any officer charged with the duty of conducting the poll at an election to the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly or to a Municipal committee, Cantonment board or other local authority may, for the purpose of satisfying himself as to the identity of any person, require such person to produce his identity card.
(3) The Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, specify any other purpose for which the production of an identity card shall be necessary.

(4) The identity card issued to any person shall be proof of his identity for any purpose for which his identity is required to be established.

9. Power to all for proof of Information.- The Director-General or any person authorised by him in this behalf may require a person who has given any information in pursuance of this Act to furnish such documentary or other evidence of the truth of that information as it is within the power of that person to furnish.

10. Information note to be divulged.-Any person who,---

(a) being a person employed for the purposes of this Act, publishes or communicates to any person, otherwise than in the ordinary course of such employment, any information acquired by him in the course of the employment; or

(b) having possession of any information which to his knowledge has been disclosed in contravention of this Act, publishes or communicates that information to any other person, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both:

Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to any publication or communication of information made,---

(i) for the purpose of any criminal proceedings; or

(ii) to any Gazetted officer authorised by the Federal Government or the Registrar-General.

11. Penalties.-(1) Any person who,---

(a) does not, without reasonable cause, apply for registration as required by section 4;

(b) for any of the purposes of this Act, makes any statement or furnishes any information which he knows or has reason to believe to be false in any material particular or which he does not believe to be true;

(c) conceals, or refuses to furnish, any information which he ought to disclose or furnish;

(d) obliterates or changes any particulars written on the identity card;

(e) forges any identity card or make or has in possession any document so closely resembling an identity card as to be calculated to deceive;

(f) fails, without reasonable cause, to report to any Registration Officer any loss of the identity card within thirty days of such loss;

(g) allows any other person to have possession of an identity card for the custody of which he is responsible;

(h) refuses or fails to produce or surrender an identity card are required under section 6 or section 7 or the rules;

(i) holds more than on identity card;

(j) does not, without reasonable cause, apply for an identity card within ninety days of his attaining the age of eighteen years; or

(k) knowingly contravenes any other provision of this Act or the rules, shall, in addition to any other penalty to which he may be liable under any other law, be punishable [with rigorous imprisonment for a period not exceeding there months, or with fine not exceeding one thousand rupees or, with both.

(2) Any person who attests or verifies any statement or information made or furnished for purpose of this Act which he knows or has reason to believe to be false in any material particular or which he does not believe to be true shall be punishable [with rigorous imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months, or with fine not exceeding one thousand rupees or, with both.

12. Cognizance of offence.-No Court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act except upon complaint in writing made by the Registrar-General or any Gazetted officer authorised by him in this behalf.

13. Offences triabal summarily.-Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, (Act V of 1898) an offence under this Act shall be triabal summarily by any Magistrate, exercising the powers of a Magistrate of the first class.

14. Officers, etc. demand to be public servants.- Every Registration Officer and every other person employed in connection with registration and issue of identity cards shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860).

15. Power to make rules.-The Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out purposes of this Act.

16. Delegation of powers.-Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, direct that all or any of the powers conferred on it by this Act or the rules shall, subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the notification, be exercisable also by any officer of the Federal Government or of a Provincial Government.

Indemnity.-No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against the Government, any Registration Officer or any other person exercising any power or performing any function under this Act, for anything which is in good faith done or purporting or intended to be done under this Act or any rule.

17. Removal of difficulties.-lf any difficulty arises in giving effect to any provision of this Act, the Federal Government may make such order, not in consistent with the provisions of this Act, as may appear to it to be necessary for the purpose of removing the difficulty.

17-A. Power to exempt.-The Registrar-General or an officer authorised by him in this behalf may, by order, in special circumstances to be recorded in writing, exempt any person or class of person from the requirement of possessing or producing in identity card for any purpose for which it is required by or under this Act to be possessed or produced. 

Schedule I

and

Schedule II

Omitted by Act Llll of 197