Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday gave final approval for a drive for re-verification of computerised national identity cards across Pakistan from July 1.
He was chairing a meeting which was attended by the interior secretary, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) national coordinator, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman and other senior officials.
During the meeting, the minister was informed that the NADRA had established a helpline – capable of handling 10,000 calls per day and an SMS (short message service) gateway for handling 150,000 text messages per day – to facilitate the general public who could report suspected CNICs issued to aliens. The meeting was further informed that training for needed human resources was also completed to ensure successful completion of the drive.
Interior Minister Nisar had given the NADRA six months’ deadline for re-verification of CNICs after reports emerged that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansour who was killed in a US drone strike in Balochistan last month was possessing a Pakistani national identity card.
For the drive, a multi-pronged strategy of data analysis schemes for verification has been evolved, including across-the-board fraud detection and mathematical modeling, utilisation of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s data for identification of aliens, Amnesty scheme, establishment of helpline and family tree intrusion detection through SMS.
Nisar said that the input by joint verification committees should continue identifying aliens who have acquired CNICs illegally, side by side, the multi-pronged exercise. He said the NADRA must give timeline for finalisation of all cases involving blockage of CNICs.
Nisar directed that NADRA should ensure utilisation of all its resources to achieve the desired objective of removing aliens from NADRA’s database within the given timeline. He also approved a media strategy of NADRA for awareness of the general public.
The minister said that CNIC re-verification awareness campaign should also be launched in local languages, adding that it would help NADRA create awareness about this national security campaign among various communities with different languages and backgrounds.
