The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has revealed that it’s in the process of setting up a new procedure so that no one’s CNIC is blocked without solid evidence against their nationality.
While briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control Chairman NADRA, Usman Mobin, said that the authority is working on a new standard operating procedure (SOP), which will improve the current process of CNIC blockage. NADRA will now require solid proof against a person before blocking their identity card.
He also informed the panel that the national regulatory authority has blocked over 375,000 CNICs of suspected individuals from all over the country.
Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini revealed that 56 percent of Balochis from their own province are unregistered with NADRA, which has led to their exclusion from the recent census.
He made another shocking disclosure, stating that over 4 million foreign nationals in Balochistan have become part of the system as some of the political parties are backing them. Jamaldini added “Some of the MPAs and MNAs are also involved in attesting blank CNIC forms.”
Senator Rehman Malik responded to this by insisting that fake verification of foreign nationals should be immediately stopped. He argued that if the police can arrest government officials for incorrect or fake verification of people, then MNAs and MPAs involved in such crimes should also be dealt in the same manner.
The senator was of the view that blockage of identity cards is becoming a serious issue and that NADRA is doing nothing to unblock CNICs of real Pakistani nationals who are tagged as ‘suspected’ but there is barely any evidence against them.
Rehman Malik requested that the NADRA chairman to look into the problem and CNICs of real Pakistanis should be immediately unblocked. He was pretty vocal against the victimization of people who had facial similarities with Afghans or any other foreign nationals.
The standing committee directed the NADRA chairman to provide province-wise statistics for blacked CNICS in the next meeting.
Members of the committee showed discontent over the closure of NADRA offices in some parts of the country, especially in remote areas where people have to travel miles to reach the authority’s local branches.
During the meeting, amendments in ‘The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2017’ and ‘The Pakistan Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2017’ were also discussed by the committee. Members were in consensus that no criminal should be provided any lenience based on his/her gender or any other reason.
The standing committee is also considering legislation against registration of fake FIRs after the issue was raised by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Islamabad Sajid Kiyani. Currently there is no ‘effective’ law against those filing fake FIRs and the policemen who lodge such reports.
Another legislation against fake spiritual leaders and other similar criminal elements who continue to scam the innocent public, is also under consideration.
