'Baseless speculation': Govt dismisses rumours of replacing army chief

Interior minister inaugurates online system for ID renewal; announces set-up of DNA testing lab to facilitate army


Zahid Gishkori August 03, 2015
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar addresses a press conference at NADRA Headquarters in Islamabad on August 3, 2015. PHOTO: PID

ISLAMABAD: Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar dismissed on Monday rumours that the government was considering replacing the army chief.

"It is baseless speculation; we have complete trust in the incumbent top command of our military," he told reporters at the inauguration of an online system for the renewal of national identity cards at the headquarters of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

“We need an army chief like General Raheel Sharif who has earned national and international fame and because we need him to fight militants,” he said adding that such ‘baseless rumours’ are being spread by ‘enemies’ of Pakistan.

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Earlier, the interior minister inaugurated an online system for the renewal of ID cards.

Nisar said the step has been taken in order to provide relief to people who will no longer have to form long queues outside NADRA centres.

“With a single click, one will be able to renew their identity cards on the computer and get updates on the status of their application through the new online system,” he said.

He also said that a DNA testing lab will be established under NADRA which will work towards facilitating the armed forces of the country.

Read: Terrorism a war of survival for Pakistan: Army chief

Nisar also announced that the government plans to set up 13 international level business centres in the next seven months, which will work as a one-stop place for the issuance of identity cards and passports.

“The information of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates will be digitised and centralised to avoid issuance of fake documents,” he stressed.

Providing statistics, the interior minister said some 64,000 passport were blocked last year, adding the institution has fetched government Rs5 billion.

Nisar reiterated that the government is making utmost efforts to ensure not a single incompetent and corrupt officer works at NADRA.

COMMENTS (24)

Bukhari | 8 years ago | Reply @ Ch. Allah Daad, really this is your response?? can't believe it.
SGRR | 8 years ago | Reply "the institution has fetched government Rs5 billion." It seems that one of the objective of the establishing NADRA to mint money from the each and every citizen of Pakistan. Whether state institutions are established to provide relief to the state masses or the extort money from them? Normally the online services are cheaper than the services where direct interaction of people is required, However, I wonder, the online services of NADRA are many time costlier than the services offered at NSRC.
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