The recently appointed head of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) informed a Senate panel on Wednesday that certain NADRA personnel and external influences were involved in the fraudulent issuance of CNICs (Computerized National Identity Cards) to foreigners.
Lieutenant General Munir Afsar, in his inaugural appearance before the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, further mentioned that illegal residents become part of local family records by offering bribes to family members.
The committee meeting, chaired by Senator Mohsin Aziz, was attended by various officials and senators, including the caretaker Minister for Interior Sarfraz Bugti, Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, Special Interior Secretary Nadeem Mehboob, DG Passport and Immigration Mustafa Jamal Kazi, and several senators, such as Saifullah Abro, Faisal Saleem Rehman, Shahadat Awan, Faisal Ali Subzwari, Fawzia Arshad, Dilawar Khan, Danesh Kumar, Dost Muhammad Khan, Bahramand Khan Tangi, Sherry Rehman, and Kamil Ali Agha.
According to the NADRA chairman, 84 officials have been suspended for their involvement in illicit conduct, and he also claimed that action had been taken against NADRA personnel. However, he continued, ‘Workers escape penalties since there are no regulations addressing data privacy. They are using old manual identity cards issued before the establishment of NADRA, identity cards of deceased individuals issued before 2004, whose biometric data is not available in the databases, and CNICs of women and men who underwent IVF. He claimed that an analysis of the processing revealed that non-nationals typically attempt to infiltrate Pakistani families by creating documents using the credentials of Pakistani families and biometric verification of a CNIC holder belonging to a genuine Pakistani family.
To exclusively issue CNICs to legitimate citizens and prevent the influx of foreigners into Pakistani homes, Mr. Afsar stated to the Senate committee that NADRA was constantly enhancing the verification process. DG Passport and Immigration Mustafa Jamal Kazi claimed that there is no discrimination against any individual while discussing the difficulties that Mehsud tribesmen face in Karachi when obtaining passports.
He continued, however, that the procedure was slowed down because Mehsud tribal members were getting their passports in Karachi, even though the law requires that every citizen gets their first passport in their home district. The additional director general of Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) testified before the Senate body that the organization had managed to seize 19.25 tonnes of drugs in the previous year despite financial constraints and had prevented 2,555 migrants, including Pakistanis, Afghans, Iranians, and Nigerians, from crossing the coastal area illegally.
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