Literacy Ordinance, 1985

This 1985 Ordinance was meant to encourage literacy in Pakistan by tying access to certain government documents and jobs to being able to read and write. It applies to the Islamabad Capital Territory and to establishments and institutions under Federal Government control throughout Pakistan.

Section 2 defines a "literate person" as someone certified by an authority as able to read a newspaper and write a simple letter in any language. It also defines "passport," "driving licence," and "arms licence" by reference to their respective governing laws (the Passports Act 1974, the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, and the Pakistan Arms Ordinance), and defines "authority" as, depending on context, a District Headmaster, an officer of the Literacy and Mass Education Commission or Federal Ministry/Directorate of Education, the official issuing the relevant licence or passport, or the relevant appointing authority for federal employment.

Section 3 is the operative rule: notwithstanding any other law, a passport (other than a Hajj passport), a driving licence, or an arms licence can only be issued to a literate person, and only a literate person is eligible for employment under a local body or a Federal-Government-controlled establishment or institution. This requirement does not apply to renewals of licences or passports issued, or appointments made, before the Ordinance came into force.

Section 4 exempts physically or mentally handicapped persons from the literacy requirement in Section 3.

This is an old ordinance (1985) whose commencement was itself delayed by amendment until 1 January 1993 per the footnotes, so its practical current enforcement (given decades since) should be verified against present administrative practice.