Getting CNICs in Lyari is an ordeal few are willing to bear

Residents camp overnight outside only NADRA office in area to get application tokens

KARACHI: The process of applying for a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) in Lyari is slightly different than the rest of the country. Residents need to spend the night outside the only National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office in the area in order to compete in the race to get a token.

The lines at the NADRA office at 7am are reminiscent of the lines at other NADRA offices in the city at 2pm. More than 300 women anxiously wait for their turn to get a token in the long, winding line.



It was Friday, a women-only day at NADRA office, where all the prospective applicants were present to try their luck. The official working hours of NADRA start at 9am but the people of Lyari begin queuing up hours earlier.

Tanzeela, an applicant, told The Express Tribune that she has been coming to the centre for two consecutive days but was not lucky enough to get the token to apply for a CNIC. Similarly, residents complained that they had to bring their elderly parents to office four or five times before the application was processed by a NADRA official.

It is 10am when officials begin to distribute tokens but the residents said only 60 tokens are distributed for a day. "They come here even after 9am and enjoy an expensive breakfast, while poor people like us keep waiting for them to finish relaxing," complained Samina, another applicant.

We have been coming here since the last three days and have not been successful in getting the token even today, said Muhammad Shahid, who was accompanying his mother. The only way to get a token is to come the night before and sleep outside the building, he said. This trick was used by Shehzad Khan, one of the few applicants who successfully managed to get a token. He had been sitting outside on the footpath all night.



The disgruntled people shared the inefficiencies of the only NADRA office in the area. The executive counter, which has been established to deal with urgent cases, was closed for the public. Apart from the arduous task of getting a token, the residents often have to face the humiliation of having their application rejected without any reason.

Any attempt to reach the office are thwarted by the police officials manning the gates. Ghanwa Akram's mother complained that the authorities issued her daughter a CNIC with an incorrect date of birth and are now demanding Rs1,300 to rectify their mistake. Kamran Jalebiwala, who was at the office with his mother-in-law Zarina Muhammad, revealed that the officials refused to make CNICs for people over 50 years old.

It appears that elected representatives have little influence. Pakistan Peoples Party MNA from Lyari, Shahjehan Baloch, said he has requested federal interior minister Chaudhry Nisar to help several times but the minister had merely made verbal promises. Lyari district has a population of almost two million and only one NADRA office is not enough, he said, adding that the people of Lyari are not allowed to get their CNICs made from NADRA offices in other areas of the city.

The residents of Lyari complained that it takes a week to get a token, let alone a CNIC. According to an elderly man at the office, "Yahan sirf Quaid-e-Azam chalta hai [only money works here]".

For its part, NADRA spokesperson Faik Ali said he would only respond to the allegations if proof of irregularities was brought before him. He termed the allegations "lame" and refused to answer any queries.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2016.