Lawyers’ body slams Islamabad’s household survey, announces legal action

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) has strongly condemned a recent announcement by the Islamabad deputy commissioner asking residents to submit personal household information through a newly launched application, describing the move as unconstitutional, unlawful and a threat to citizens’ privacy.

According to the IBA, on November 14, the deputy commissioner declared that every resident must download the app and upload details such as the number of people living in each home. The DC further warned that officials would visit households to forcibly collect the data if residents refused to comply. The bar association said this amounts to constant surveillance of citizens under the pretext of security.

In an official press release, the IBA rejected the policy outright, noting that no existing law authorises the ICT administration to gather personal data of citizens.

It said the policy violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which protects the dignity, privacy and sanctity of the home. The Association cited superior court decisions—including MD Tahir vs State Bank (2004 CLC 1680)—which affirm that personal data falls within constitutional privacy protections.

The IBA also pointed out that the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, specifically Sections 7 and 16, exempts personal and private data from disclosure, prohibiting even the state from forcibly acquiring such information.

Raising concerns over cybersecurity risks, the IBA noted that NADRA’s data has been compromised several times in the past, making the new data-collection scheme a potential security hazard rather than a protective measure.

Similar apprehensions were recently echoed by Senator Palwasha Hassan in the Senate.

Declaring the deputy commissioner’s policy “contempt of court” and “blatantly illegal,” the IBA announced its intention to challenge the move in the court. It also urged the federal government to expedite the long-delayed Data Protection Bill to safeguard citizens’ personal information.

IBA President Chaudhry Naeem Ali Gujar and General Secretary Abdul Haleem Bhotto signed the press release.

Earlier, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon had said that survey teams would begin visiting all neighbourhoods from November 17.

Explaining the purpose and process of the ICT household survey, the deputy commissioner said the app is available on both Android’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store, and residents can download it to enter details about their home, family members, drivers, cooks and other domestic workers.