NADRA shuts down CNIC services at post offices

NADRA orders closure of all such counters nationwide, directs staff to return equipment and deposit collected fees.

Listen to article

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has discontinued identity card-related services at General Post Offices (GPOs) nationwide, citing low public utilisation and lack of awareness, Express News reported.

Initially launched three years ago as a government initiative, the collaboration between NADRA and Pakistan Post aimed to facilitate citizens with easier access to services such as CNIC renewal, address updates, and marital status changes through dedicated counters at post offices.

However, NADRA has now ordered the closure of all such counters, directed staff to return equipment and deposit collected fees. Ready CNICs are to be immediately handed over to applicants before counters are fully dismantled.

A NADRA spokesperson confirmed the decision, stating, “Due to the extremely low number of applicants at post office counters, the facilities have been shut down. The equipment will be transferred to union councils in the upcoming fiscal year.”

Despite offering key services like address updates, renewals, and photo/signature modifications, the initiative failed to gain public traction. Officials attributed the limited turnout to inadequate public awareness.

The counters, which were operational in major cities including Karachi since February 2022, were part of a 10-year agreement between NADRA and Pakistan Post. Only three years in, the programme has now been discontinued, affecting roughly 83 counters across all four provinces and Azad Kashmir.

In Karachi alone, counters set up at 10 major post offices — including II Chundrigar Road and Saddar GPO — have been shut down. These counters had helped ease pressure on NADRA centres by reducing queues.

Sources noted that while the service helped reduce congestion at NADRA offices, many citizens were unaware of the availability of these facilities at post offices. “Most people didn’t know such services existed,” said one official.

NADRA and GPO authorities had reportedly planned public awareness campaigns through social media and other channels, but these efforts never materialised at scale.

The NADRA spokesperson confirmed that the equipment from the now-closed counters will be reassigned to local union councils to improve decentralised service delivery.