Government of Pakistan is planning to get each and every Pakistani re-verified, which could potentially mean that 180 million Pakistanis will be re-verified and re-issued their CNICs.
According to media reports, Ch. Nisar, Interior Minister of the country, has directed the National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA) to prepare a roadmap within next two days for re-verification of all Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) across the country.
Primary aim is to eliminate any illegal CNIC card holders and only those with real identities would be allowed to bear Pakistani CNICs and passports.
It is yet unclear that how NADRA is going to complete the task.
It won’t be out of place to mention that some 110 million Pakistanis have physical CNIC cards, while others bear a national ID number but are yet to be issued cards due to age or other factors.
Move came after an incident when a Pakistani passport and CNIC found at the site where Muhammad Wali, suspected to be Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Akthar Mansour, was reportedly killed by a US drone strike.
Ch. Nisar was particularly concerned that how an Afghan was issued a Pakistani CNIC and a Pakistani passport.
“A message has gone to the world that Pakistan’s CNIC can be used by anyone”, said Interior Minister
Ch. Nisar emphasized that it must be ensured that general public remain at ease and re-verification of CNICs must be done in a most cordial and friendly way.
While this is not the first time that we have seen a foreign national bearing Pakistani CNIC and passport, but it is only now that such high-profile case has badly exposed — the NADRA to outside world and — the process through which Pakistani CNICs are issued in Pakistan.
Not to be mentioned, Pakistan successfully re-verified each and every mobile phone user through biometric verification and now each and every SIM operating in Pakistan is bonded with a CNIC; which implies that re-verification of 180 million Pakistanis is a possible task.
It is however going to be a gigantic project that has to be supervised through foolproof SOPs to ensure the flawlessness of the system.
Expect more details on this development during next few days.
