Processing CNICs: NADRA to accept Church’s marriage certificates

Authority will also accept the birth certificates issued by the Church authorities for an interim period of 3 months.

ISLAMABAD:

The National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) has decided to accept marriage certificates issued by the Church for processing the Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) of the Christians, a statement said on Tuesday.

The authority will also accept the birth certificates issued by the Church authorities for an interim period of three months after which, the Christians like all other communities of Pakistan will have to present computerised birth certificates for registration of the children.

“It’s our first priority to resolve the Christian community’s registration-related problems,” said Nadra chairman Tariq Malik after a three-member delegation of Christian community called on him at Nadra Headquarters on Tuesday.

Bishop Samuel Azariah, Bishop of Peshawar Humphrey Sarfraz Peters, and Presbyter Nasim Fiaz put their issues before the Nadra chief, the Nadra statement said.



Christians who got married in a Church with Christian rites and got their marriage certificates issued by the Church registered with the union councils in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were facing registration problems, the delegation informed the Nadra chief.

Malik assured the delegation that their problem would be resolved soon and directed the department concerned to immediately circulate the registration policy for Christian community to all the Nadra Registration Centres (NRCs), the statement said.  He also stressed that under the prevailing security situation, it is important that evidence of identity must be verified, it added.

According to the recent directives of NADRA, the NRCs will accept marriage certificate issued by respective institutions and councils of minorities including churches.

The NRCs will also entertain birth certificates issued by the said authorities for the period of three months so that the churches in Pakistan can run public awareness campaign for their community.

After three months the Christian citizens are supposed to submit Child Birth Registration Certificate (CBRC), issued by local government just like every citizen, with Nadra for processing of Child Registration Certificate/CNIC/NICOP.

Meanwhile, the chairman Nadra informed the delegation that Christians are the second largest non-Muslim community in the country – Hindus being the largest – and Nadra has so far registered over 1.2 million Christians ensuring their rights as genuine citizens of Pakistan.

In his effort to facilitate the minorities, Nadra chairman has already met members of Sikh and Hindu communities respectively and resolved their issues.

“Currently, more than 450 employees within Nadra are non-Muslims who enjoy the same rights and benefits as all other employees of the authority. This non-discriminatory attitude of Nadra also reflects in its day to day dealings with the Pakistani population,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2013.