ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday inquired if an individual’s maternal name could be used for official identification in the case of absence of a father as the top court heard the case of a teenage girl, Tatheer Fatima, seeking emancipation from her father
A three-member bench heard the case as petitioner Tatheer informed the court that when she approached her father for documents connected to her matriculation, he asked her to first malign and disown her mother.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar asked senior lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Anwar Masoor Khan to assist in the case.
Khan, who has been appointed amicus curiae in the case, contended that many developed and developing countries do not depend on patronage for a person’s identification. He recommended that the bench seek counsel from the AGP as per the requirements.
The hearing was adjourned till October 23.
THE CASE:
The girl had filed a petition, requesting the apex court to remove her father’s name from her birth certificate and all of her educational degrees and other documents.
Tatheer wanted her last name removed and changed to ‘Tatheer Fatima bint-e-Pakistan’ instead.
“The name of the man, who does not deserve to be called a father, who does not provide for me, who I have not even met since childhood, should not be associated with mine,” the girl had said in her petition.
