155,000 fake CNICs seized in NADRA crackdown

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to increase the security of the country and the nation, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has completed the re-verification process of computerised national identity cards (CNICs), and over 155,000 ID cards have been seized for being fake.

During the process, it was also revealed that NADRA illegally issued identity cards to 603 foreign nationals. All bogus identity cards processed and issued to foreigners through illegal means have been digitally blocked and seized based on the reports of intelligence agencies.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, NADRA has blocked over 350,000 suspicious identity cards based on the reports released by intelligence agencies. The bogus identity cards represented people from 149 districts of the country, out of which 46,907 cards were from 27 districts of Sindh, 37,618 cards were from 25 districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 35,063 cards were from 36 districts of Punjab, 23,519 cards were from 31 districts of Balochistan, 3,603 cards were from Islamabad. Similarly, 5,866 cards were from 13 tribal districts, 1,427 cards were from 10 districts of Jammu & Kashmir and 76 cards from six districts of Gilgit-Baltistan.



After the re-verification of complicated as well as routine cases along with the subsequent availability of the CNIC holders, NADRA blocked another 30,528 identity cards, while the IDs of another 124,518 people were seized and blocked based on failure to furnish necessary documents.

Per details, an overall 40,500 fake cards were issued in Karachi – the biggest city of Pakistan and capital of the Sindh province. Similarly, over 20,750 identity cards were issued in K-P’s capital of Peshawar, 8,585 fake cards were seized from Rawalpindi, and 8,195 fake cards were found in Balochistan’s capital of Quetta.

According to documents, 1,645 fake CNICs were released in Sindh’s Hyderabad district, 492 cards were released in Jacobabad, 407 in Ghotki, 267 in Shaheed Benazirabad, 416 in Sanghar and 39 in Tharparkar. In Punjab, Lahore reported 7,988 fake identity cards, while 1,755 cards in Gujranwala, 1,404 cards in Shaikhupura, 1,337 cards in Faisalabad and 1,220 cards in Sialkot were also found to be bogus.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, district Charsadda was found to have 2,697 fake CNIC holders, while 2,560 CNICs in Mardan, 1,876 CNICs in Nowshera, 1,738 CNICs in Bajour, 1,507 CNICs in Khyber, 844 CNICs in Mohmand and 687 CNICs in Kurram were found to be fake. Likewise in Balochistan, Qilla Abdullah reported 5,372 fake identity cards, while 2,559 cards in Pashin, 1,987 cards in Chaghi and 1,348 cards in Loralai were also found to be obtained through fraudulent means and illegal processes.

Documents also revealed that after the departmental inquiry, NADRA terminated the services of 120 officers who were found to be involved in dishonest activities which facilitated the issuance of fake identity cards.

Those terminated from their jobs include assistant superintendent, deputy assistant director, and junior and senior executives. The deputy assistant directors removed from the position include Muhammad Ali, Iftikhar Hussain, Rabia Haroon, Syed Muhammad Ali Akbar Gilani, Sana Khurram and assistant superintendent Syed Ali Ansar Bukhari.