Shajra-e-Nasab (Family Tree) Declaration (Pakistan)

A Shajra-e-Nasab (Family Tree) Declaration in Pakistan sets down the declarant's affirmation of the facts or intentions described, for reliance by the relevant parties.

The term "shajra-e-nasab" derives from Arabic — shajra meaning tree and nasab meaning lineage — and refers to the traditional genealogical record maintained by tribes, clans, and landed families across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Azad Kashmir. In historical Pakistan, shajra-e-nasab records were maintained by revenue patwaris as part of the land record system administered under the West Pakistan Land Revenue Act 1967. The revenue shajra recorded the names of landowners across generations and formed the basis of inheritance claims before revenue courts and civil courts.

The Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984 governs the admissibility and weight of genealogical evidence in Pakistani courts. Under Article 52 of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984, facts relating to any person's lineage and family pedigree are relevant facts when the person whose family pedigree is in question is deceased and when the person giving the evidence is a member of the family. Under Article 54, a statement made by a deceased person regarding any fact affecting the family pedigree of the person making the statement is admissible as evidence — this makes old family documents, nikah namas, and wills particularly valuable in establishing lineage. The Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration brings these historical family records together into a sworn statement that modern authorities can act upon.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) requires a Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration when processing applications for Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) where the family relationship between the applicant and their father or grandfather cannot be established through existing NADRA records. This arises frequently in tribal areas, rural communities, and among families that historically did not register births with Union Councils. NADRA's citizen verification system cross-references the declared shajra against existing database entries before updating its records.

For inheritance matters governed by the West Pakistan Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1962, courts applying Hanafi rules of succession require proof of the relationship between the deceased and the claimant heirs. A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration sworn by multiple family members and corroborated by witnesses who can attest to the family relationships provides the foundational evidence for a succession certificate application before the District Court under the Succession Act 1925. The declaration must identify all legal heirs — sons, daughters, wives, parents — in the order of priority established by Hanafi jurisprudence as applied in Pakistan.

In the context of property transfers under the Transfer of Property Act 1882 and the Registration Act 1908, a Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is required when immovable property is claimed through inheritance rather than direct purchase — for example, when agricultural land entered in the revenue record (jamabandi) in the name of a deceased grandfather is to be transferred to grandchildren through a succession process before the revenue authorities administering the West Pakistan Land Revenue Act 1967. The Sub-Registrar's office and the Board of Revenue require the shajra to identify all persons with a share in the inherited property before effecting the mutation (intiqal) of the land record.

A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration in Pakistan is needed across inheritance, identity registration, property, and government service contexts where formal genealogical proof of family relationships is required.

A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is required when applying for a CNIC from NADRA where the applicant's father or grandfather is not registered in the NADRA database and family relationships cannot be automatically verified. NADRA's Form B (child registration) and Form C (CNIC) processes require supporting documents proving parentage — in the absence of a birth certificate issued by a Union Council, a sworn Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration accompanied by the testimony of community witnesses satisfies the family relationship requirement.

A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is needed when applying for a succession certificate before a District Court or Civil Court under the Succession Act 1925 following the death of a property owner. The court requires proof of all legal heirs and their relationship to the deceased. A jointly sworn Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration signed by all surviving adult heirs, identifying the complete family tree from the deceased backward and all living descendants, establishes the family structure the court needs to determine shares under Hanafi succession law applied through the West Pakistan Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1962.

A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is required when pursuing mutation (intiqal) of agricultural land in the revenue record before the Patwari, Tehsildar, or Assistant Commissioner under the West Pakistan Land Revenue Act 1967. After the death of a landowner, the heirs must apply for mutation by producing a shajra identifying all rightful inheritors. The Board of Revenue requires the shajra to be sworn and attested by competent authority to prevent fraudulent mutations.

A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is needed when a government servant applies for a domicile certificate from the relevant district authority or when a candidate applies for a quota-based government position reserved for a particular district, division, or province where lineage in that region must be established. The Establishment Division and provincial service commissions in Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan require genealogical proof of local origin.

A Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is required in overseas remittance and immigration contexts where a Pakistani national abroad needs to establish family ties for visa sponsorship, inheritance claims, or property dealings in Pakistan — particularly when approaching the High Commission or Embassy for attestation of family documents under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

A valid Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration in Pakistan under the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984 and the Oaths Act 1873 must contain the following essential elements to be accepted by NADRA, revenue authorities, courts, and government departments.

Stamp Paper and Heading: The declaration must be executed on non-judicial stamp paper of the appropriate denomination — typically PKR 50 to PKR 100 — purchased from a licensed vendor appointed by the provincial Board of Revenue under the Stamp Act 1899. The document heading must state "SHAJRA-E-NASAB DECLARATION / AFFIDAVIT OF FAMILY TREE" in both English and Urdu where the receiving authority so requires.

Deponent Identification: Full legal name of the deponent as on their NADRA CNIC (13-digit CNIC number in XXXXX-XXXXXXX-X format), father's name, age, residential address, and — for rural deponents — village, tehsil, and district of origin. The deponent must be an adult member of the family competent to give evidence under Article 3 of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984.

Ancestral Tree Narrative: A structured account of the family lineage in descending order from the oldest known ancestor through to living family members. Each generation should be clearly identified — typically: great-grandfather → grandfather → father → deponent and siblings. For each named person, the declaration should state: full name, approximate year of birth and death (if deceased), names of spouses, and names of children (with their current status: living or deceased).

Generation Table: A tabular presentation of the family tree is strongly recommended for clarity — listing each family member's name, relationship to the deponent, CNIC number (where available), and current residential address. Courts and NADRA process tabular shajras more efficiently than narrative-only declarations.

Identification of Legal Heirs: Where the Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration is for succession purposes, the declaration must specifically identify all living legal heirs of the deceased person whose estate is to be distributed, and confirm that no other heirs exist to the deponent's knowledge. This confirmation triggers the deponent's liability under Section 193 of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 if any heir is concealed.

Witness Attestation: The declaration should be attested by two adult community witnesses — ideally members of the same locality (mohalla, village, or town) who have personal knowledge of the family. Article 17 of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order 1984 requires witness testimony to be corroborative. The witnesses must provide their full names, CNIC numbers, addresses, and signatures or thumb impressions.

Perjury Warning and Verification: The deponent must acknowledge that false statements in the Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration constitute perjury under Section 193 of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860, punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine. The standard verification clause tracks the format prescribed by the Code of Civil Procedure 1908.

Oath Commissioner Attestation: The declaration is void without proper attestation by an Oath Commissioner appointed by a High Court under Section 139 CPC, a First Class Judicial Magistrate, or a Notary Public under the Notaries Ordinance 1961. The attesting officer must verify the deponent's identity against the original CNIC before administering the oath.

Forms-legal.com provides this Shajra-e-Nasab Declaration (Pakistan) template to help families document lineage for NADRA, revenue, and succession purposes. For complex inheritance matters or tribal land disputes, consultation with an advocate enrolled at the relevant provincial High Court Bar — Lahore High Court Bar, Sindh High Court Bar, Peshawar High Court Bar, or Balochistan High Court Bar — is strongly advised before filing the declaration in court proceedings.