Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said around 450,000 fake computerised national identity cards (CNICs) had been blocked during the last three and a half years.
Over 32,000 passports were also revoked during the period, he said while addressing a press conference here at NADRA headquarters.
Giving a comparison of present and previous regimes regarding blocked CNICs, the minister claimed that no action was taken against bogus identity cards before 2011, however, the present government realised the issue and started national re-verification campaign of CNICs.
The verification process of CNICs was branded ‘impossible’ by a section of media, however, the government proved them wrong and successfully completed the task, he said.
He admitted that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had issues; however, the government was bringing reforms and introducing solutions with the passage of time.
Nisar said the recovery of Pakistani identity cards from terrorists had damaged the country on different levels and added only 26 fake CNICs were cancelled in 2011, 493 in 2012, 6,000 in 2013, 22,000 in 2014, 96,000 in 2015 and around 223,512 in 2016.
He said no concrete steps were taken in the past, and during the tenure of the last government only 517 CNICs and a few passports were blocked. There was no example of verification before 2011, he added. The national documents, he said, were issued to foreigners and were used in human trafficking, terrorism and other illegal activities, which led to defame Pakistan in the world.
He appreciated officers and officials of NADRA and also media for their effective and praiseworthy role in the six-month verification process, and said the officials of NADRA involved in issuing illegal national documents would be brought to justice.
The minister said SIM cards were also verified through the biometric system, and after completion of the process, millions of SIMs were blocked.
He said during the campaign, NADRA sent 101 million SMS to family heads asking them to verify their family members. Around 86,380 intruders were found during the six-month drive, he added.
Nisar said proactive efforts were being made to restore the CNICs of those who had valid documents. He announced to form an 18-member parliamentary committee to oversee the verification process of CNICs, and NADRA would brief the committee every month and decisions would be taken on a fast-track basis.
Answering a question, he said everyone was equal in the eyes of the law, and indiscriminate actions were being taken against all the criminal cases.
He said the committee probing the news leak issue had been given a one-month extension to submit its report which would be made public.
All cases against corruption would be taken to a logical conclusion according to the law, he replied to another query.
Answering another query about money laundering allegedly carried out by Khanani and Kalia, he said the majority of record had been destroyed in the case to hide facts, and announced to constitute a committee next month to further investigate the matter.
Answering a question, he said his ministry was in contact with the management of social media sites to get information related to the release of incorrect posts about the designated Chief Justice of Pakistan.
“We are in contact with Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other social media sites to expose elements and their hidden motives for launching a negative campaign to damage the credibility of state institutions,” he said.
Replying to another query, the minister said he would move the Supreme Court to defend himself on the Quetta Commission report.
Former attorney general Makhdoom Ali Khan would be his lawyer.
About General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf’s recent claim, Nisar said his ministry had put the name of the former president on the Exit Control List (ECL) for two and a half years. The trial court, high court and then the Supreme Court allowed Musharraf to travel abroad, he added.
