TOBA TEK SINGH: The change in the procedure for obtaining stamp papers, introduced by the Punjab Board of Revenue (BoR), is causing problems for the students under the age of 18 years who apply for domicile and provincial government scholarship.
The BoR has changed the procedure, making it mandatory to enter registered mobile phone number of the applicant and a copy of his/her valid Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) for the issuance of stamp paper. Haji Muhammad Sadiq, a resident Gojra told Dawn that, after entering the required data, a one-time password is issued to applicant to obtain a stamp paper.
He said this rule is problematic for the students under 18 years, who require a Rs300 stamp papers while applying for a domicile. He said that although this change will solve the issue of fake stamp papers to some extent, but under-18 students have been denied the right to apply for a domicile.
Similarly, he said, the students application for the Punjab government scholarships also required a stamp paper, for which the last date is Sep 30.
He requested Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to order withdrawal of the decision regarding the change in the procedure for the issuance of stamp papers at the earliest to solve the problems being faced by underage students in applying for domicile and scholarships.
Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2025