NADRA all set to introduce chip-based e-passport

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is all set to introduce chip-based e-passport in the country which would help further secure the identity of the citizens.
“NADRA has developed the software for the purpose and is now waiting for the instructions from the Interior Ministry to proceed further,” NADRA Deputy Chairman Tariq Malik told Pakistan Today in an exclusive interview on Monday. He said a committee comprising secretary interior, chairman NADRA and DG passports and immigration was working on the new passport project, which would be more secure than the prevailing one. It will take 6-8 more months, he said, adding the chip-based passport was already in vogue in 56 countries across the world.
To a question regarding parentage of the abandon children, Tariq Malik said the issue of parentage of the abandoned children was a sensitive religious matter for which NADRA had sought fatwa from Sunni and Shia religious scholars of Iran and Saudi Arabia and also referred the case to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII). He said CII had opined “No specific name could be given. This will create tension for the minors hence if any guardian’s name is known that may be written.”
Malik told Pakistan Today that there were different options available with NADRA pertaining to parentage of abandoned children, including the name of the guardian as Abdul Sattar Edhi. However, he said his name in so many cases would itself be an indication that these are the abandoned children. He said NADRA had extensively pursued this goal at different forums for finalisation of policy but its due results could not be achieved for the reasons that were beyond NADRA’s control.
He said the authority was striving hard to help children with unknown parentage by initiating some measures to assess their actual number in different orphan houses and NGOs. “We have written to them to inform NADRA about the exact number of children they have at their centres so as to include them in the national database and later help them in getting their CNICs,” he said, adding that NADRA was unable to ascertain the exact number of abandoned children in the country unless they were registered with the national database.
He further said the issue was now in the Supreme Court and NADRA was waiting for appropriate directions in this regard. He said under the existing rules, cases of abandoned children are being processed on the production of guardianship certificate issued by the guardian court and a considerable number of such cases had been processed by NADRA.
Coming to NADRA’s performance, Malik said 93 percent of the total adult population of the country was registered with NADRA. Around 87.97 million people were identity card-holders including 37.7 million female and 50.34 million male.
He said NADRA was currently providing technical services to various countries including Nigeria, Sudan and Bangladesh. “NADRA is handling the Identity Management System of Nigeria, Civil Registration System including birth, death and identity card of Sudan and driving license of Bangladesh,” which he added was indicative of the trust of these countries on the professional capabilities of the organization. He further said the NADRA had also prepared a software application for registration of the Afghan refugees. He said NADRA stood amongst the 50 top ID Management Companies across the globe.
On the question of computerised voters’ list and identification of fake voters, Malik said of the 81 million voters, 44 million voters had been verified. He said in the 2007 electoral rolls, 2.5 million voters were in duplication while 15 million voters were found with invalid CNICs. He said Elections Commission of Pakistan has sought assistance from NADRA for “SMS Application for Verification as Voter”. Before the next general elections, NADRA would be able to provide assistance to the Election Commission in SMS verification of voter, he added.