NADRA hit by flood of complaints

Officials underscore need for education and awareness to scale down number of cases.

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of complaints have been filed against the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) at the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, alarming both departments, The Express Tribune has learnt. Officials have highlighted the need to start a campaign to encourage people to scale down the number of cases.

The complaints received and filed against the NADRA as of this year include 1,514 general complaints, out of which 757 have been resolved, 633 are pending and the remaining are non-admissible. As far as children’s complaints are concerned, 14 such pleas were filed against NADRA, out of which 11 were deemed admissible.

According to the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, it is an unfortunate scenario that the complaints received via phone are not registered in the computer, therefore the statistics which are present are actually less than what the real picture indicates. “The issue is being addressed by the office to have it rectified so that more accurate figures and data are present,” said an official at the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, NADRA Chief Operating Officer Brigadier Zahid Hussain Chief said that the authority is aware of the number of complaints filed against the department and is working closely with the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat to takle the issue.

“The issue is emerging, and we are conducting fortnightly meetings with the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat to overcome the challenge,” he said.

“Simultaneously, we have to look at the growing population which will lead to an increase in the number of complaints filed,” Hussain added.

He also underscored the need for making it easier for people to register, which Wafaqi Mohtasib is helping them to do. Hussain explained that the system is computerised but the problem lies in the insertion of information on the form which creates the hindrance when matching the data.

“There are several people who, for some odd reason, want to hide their details. Recently, we had a woman with a complaint of her form, but what she did not reveal was that she has six children and not four. After further questioning and interrogation we came to know that two of her children were from her previous marriage,” Hussain said.

He said that there needs to be further campaigning by the government and involvement of NGOs to create awareness about the importance and need of the ID card system.  The importance of registering accurate information should also be explained. “This is the only solution to bring down the number of complaints,” Hussain added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2010.