In a bizarre development, a fake COVID-19 vaccine entry has been made in the name of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at a vaccination center in Lahore.
According to ARY News, the bogus entry was made using the CNIC of Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, data of which has been uploaded to the National Database and Registration Authority’s (NADRA) portal.
The development means that the former prime minister, who has been living in a self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom (UK) for two years, could download his ‘vaccination certificate’ from NADRA’s online portal after paying a minimal fee of Rs. 100.
Taking notice of the development, the Punjab government has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
The incident raises serious questions about the transparency of the entire vaccination process. Similar cases have been reported in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and other parts of the country.
However, experts believe that the reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg, as thousands of such cases in rural parts of the country go unnoticed.
Recently, the UK aviation authority, while removing Pakistan from the red list, said it did not have confidence in Pakistan’s vaccination process. Therefore, travelers coming from the country will have to serve a five-day mandatory quarantine at home, to be ended by a negative PCR test on the fifth day.
Before other countries raise similar concerns, the federal and provincial governments should work together and devise a foolproof mechanism for vaccination and its registration so that it becomes internationally acceptable.
