84. Comparison of signature, writing or seal with others admitted or proved.__ (1) In order to
ascertain whether a signature, writing or seal is that of the person by whom it purports to have been
written or made any signature writing or seal admitted or proved to the satisfaction of the Court to
have been written or made by that person may be compared with the one which is to be proved,
although that signature, writing or seal has not been produced or proved for any other purpose.
(2) The Court may direct any person present in Court to write any words or figures for the
purpose of enabling the Court to compare the words or figures so written with any words or figures
alleged to have been written by such person.
(3) This Article applies also, with any necessary modifications, to fingerimpressions.
85. Public documents. The following documents are public documents: —
(1) documents forming the acts or records of the acts :
(i) of the sovereign authority ;
(ii) of official bodies and tribunals, and
(iii) of public officers, legislative, Judicial and executive of any part of Pakistan or of a
foreign country.
(2) public records kept in Pakistan of private documents;
(3) documents forming part of the records of judicial proceedings ;
(4) documents required to be maintained by a public servant under any law ; and
(5) registered documents the execution whereof is not disputed.
1"(6)
certificates deposited in a repository pursuant to the provisions of the electronic
Transactions Ordinance, 2002."
86. Private documents. All other documents are private.
87. Certified copies of public documents. Every public officer having the custody of a public
document, which any person has a right to inspect, shall give that person on demand a copy of it on
payment of the legal fees therefor, together with a certificate written at the foot of such copy that it is
a true copy of such document or part thereof, as the case may be, and such certificate shall be dated
and subscribed by such officer with his name and his official title, and shall be sealed, whenever such
officer is authorized by law to make use of a seal, and such copies so certified shall be called certified
copies.
Explanation.__ Any officer, who, by the ordinary course of official duty, is authorized to deliver
such copies, shall be deemed to have the custody of such documents within the meaning of this
Article.
1 Added by and LI of 2002, s. 7.
Page 44 of 68