The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has indicated that expanding its network of offices may require a rise in identity card fees due to funding issues, according to a report by Geo News.
While the authority has opened new offices, many citizens still face long wait times to renew or update their computerized national identity cards (CNICs), showing that the expansion hasn’t fully addressed accessibility issues.
NADRA Chairman Lt. Gen. Muhammad Munir Afsar disclosed in a recent National Assembly Standing Committee meeting that 61 tehsils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have no NADRA offices.
During the meeting, chaired by Raja Khurram Nawaz, Afsar explained that expanding services would require an increase in CNIC fees, as NADRA is self-funded and has not raised fees since former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani’s executive order made the first CNICs free.
Some committee members expressed concern over the financial burden of CNICs on citizens, with suggestions to waive the fee for the first ID card. Additionally, security concerns were discussed, including reports of fraudulent CNICs held by Afghan nationals. NADRA officials noted ongoing efforts to monitor data leaks and unauthorized CNIC issuance.
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