NADRA services draw huge complaints

Citizens lodged 18,620 complaints with Ombudsman in 3 years

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani citizens have registered over 18,000 complaints with the Federal Ombudsman or Wafaqi Mohtasib against the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) over the last three years.

According to the documents available with The Express Tribune, the Federal Ombudsman has received 18,620 complaints of people from across Pakistan, as well as from overseas Pakistanis.

These complainants have expressed displeasure over the services being provided by NADRA and requested the Federal Ombudsman to take up the issue on an urgent basis and resolve it.



Sharing details of the complaints, Federal Ombudsman’s Senior Adviser (Law) and Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis Ahsaan Ahmed Khokhar said these complaints are related generally to issuance of the Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), renewal of the CNICs, Pakistan Origin Cards, Children Registration (B-Form) and National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop).

“Systemic issues, including easy automation process, of around 8.4 million overseas Pakistanis have also been taken up and complaints have also been received from New Zealand, Holland, Germany, Italy, USA and other countries on the subject,” he said.

Khokhar said against the findings of the Federal Ombudsman, only 34 representations were filed before the President of Pakistan and amongst these 11 were decided. The president was pleased to uphold the findings of the Federal Ombudsman in 19 cases, he said.



Non-payment issue

Meanwhile, Interior Ministry officials on Wednesday failed to submit a compliance report before the Federal Ombudsman over non-payment of salaries and house allowance to employees of immigration and passports section at Pakistan’s foreign missions posted in over 90 counties across the globe.

Khokhar said officials of Directorate of Immigration and Passport have requested that a few more days should be given to them for presenting the compliance report.



“The Wafaqi Mohtasib, however, has asked them not to delay it further and to present the report on Thursday (today) as the employees are facing huge difficulties due to delay in payment and house allowance for the last nine to ten months,” he said.

Earlier on December 21 the Wafaqi Mohtasib wrote a letter to the Director General of Directorate of Immigration and Passport and sought a compliance report on December 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2016.