Punjab to digitise Nikkah registration process

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has decided to digitise the nikkah registration system in the province to eliminate fake marriage certificates and discourage registration based on fake witnesses, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Under the new computerised registration system, marriage registers across the province will be phased out and a tablet will be introduced instead which will be linked to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

All marriage registrars and registered imams will be trained to use the tabs.

Each marriage registrar will be allotted a separate account for the collection of fees. If a person has not submitted the fee for marriage, then a second marriage cannot take place.

The marriage fee will be credited to the relevant account of the local government department from the marriage registrar's SIM. The ID cards and thumbprints of the witnesses will also be scanned. If ID card scanning and thumbprints match, only then will the witnesses testimony be admissible.

The registrar will also take a photo of the groom at the time of nikkah and submit it to Nadra. If the groom is a fugitive or nominated in a criminal case, he will be arrested immediately as the tab will produce the image linked with Nadra's database.