Method of unblocking CNIC can turn Chaudhry Nisar ‘Sikh’: PkMAP minister

Nasrullah Khan Zerey claims the newly devised criteria for unblocking ‘CNIC is so tough’

ISLAMABAD: Upset by the ‘undue stress’ created by the requirement to produce a family tree for unblocking of a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), a senior Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader opened up the ‘great-grandfather’ of debates by going after the ancestry of a sitting federal minister.

MPA Nasrullah Khan Zerey has claimed that newly devised criteria for unblocking CNIC is so tough that even Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Khan would fail and turn out to be a “Sikh” while collecting three-generation old documents proving his family tree.



Director General National Database Regulatory Authority (Nadra) Balochistan has recently forwarded an interesting conversation happened between the said MPA and Nadra’s Quetta staff for consideration of chairman Nadra.

The ‘occurrence report’ states that Zerey not only criticised new policy to unblock CNICs but also kept on saying: “Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar cannot produce his Shajra-e-Nasb [family-tree], as after three generations the minister would also appear to be a Sikh”.

DG Quetta reported that following this argument, the provincial minister was told not to be specific and refrain from naming anyone in particular but on this Zerey turned harsher.

“MPA [Nasrullah Khan Zerey] was briefed about the new policy … but he did not accept the facts and continuously argued in harsh tone,” DG Quetta said.



The minister was there along with some individuals whose ID cards were blocked by Nadra under the National Re-verification Drive.

The DG in his letter addressed to chairman Nadra said although the situation was handled with the best to one’s ability but his unruly attitude of the PkMAP minister must be taken into notice.





Nadra has recently approved a new policy to deal with the issue of thousands of CNICs blocked after placing them under ‘suspect’ category.

The cases have been divided in two categories: routine cases and complex Cases.

Routine cases will be dealt with by Nadra itself, while complex cases will be referred to district level committees – comprising MNAs of respective district, a deputy commissioner/assistant political agent, district police officer, and representatives of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Under the new mechanism, a CNIC, upon submission of required documents by an individual, will be cleared within 6 to 30 working days. An individual with blocked CNIC will be cleared if he submits any of the required documents.

These documents may be a land record registered prior to 1978, local/domicile certificate issued prior to 1978, a pedigree [Shajra-e-Nasb], government employment certificate, educational documents issued prior to 1978, and any other document – arms or driving licence or manual NIC issued prior to 1978.

These documents are required to be verified by the issuing authorities.

At district level committees, verification of attested documents will be required from a deputy commissioner or an assistant political agent. In case of verification, blocked CNICs will be restored upon confirmation of national status of suspected individuals.

Under routine category, recently the Nadra has temporarily cleared over 100,000 CNICs.