NADRA likely to miss ECP deadline

Although, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has closed NADRA Resource Centres (NRC) for the general public to complete voters’ lists but it may fail to comply with the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) deadline of handing over the final list 21 days before February 23, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to details, the Supreme Court (SC) had ordered the ECP to complete the voters’ list before February 23 on which the ECP had asked NADRA to handover the final list 21 days before the given deadline. NADRA had utilised all of its resources and manpower to complete the task and asked the ECP that the final list would be handed over on February 5 but the ECP needed the final list until January 31 for publication. Earlier, the ECP requested the SC for an extension in deadline but the CJP turned down the request.
Due to closure of NRCs, citizens were facing immense difficulties in getting new CNICs. NADRA had displayed banners at gates of all NRCs stating that the process of issuance of new CNICs was suspended for an indefinite time to meet the deadline. But the authority moved some mobile NRCs to city centres but failed to facilitate NRCs with mobile facilities. People had started approaching NRCs where the facility of mobile NADRA centres was available.
According to law, the ECP had to publish the final voters’ list at public places 21 days before, as if anyone’s name could not be included due to some errors, he or she could be facilitated, ECP Sindh-Circle Chief Sonu Baloch said. “We have asked NADRA to handover the final voters’ list before February 2 to meet the legal formality of completion of the process until February 23,” Baloch said. He said that NADRA would inform the ECP about its progress in a few days. He said that NADRA had provided the voters’ list to the ECP, which was sent back after verification.
The NADRA spokesman told Pakistan Today that the authority had sent some mobile NRCs in some of its centres to facilitate the masses. He said that NADRA Deputy Chairman Tariq Malik had instructed NADRA officials that all normal NADRA NRCs will carry out data entry of ECP until February 5. The ECP Data Entry Project was of national importance and all quarters concerned were looking towards NADRA for its timely completion, Malik said. He instructed that all resources deputed on registration will work on Sundays and other gazette holidays until completion of the project.