Main fault in identity card scandal seems to lie with corruption in our own system, combined with clever miscreants
KECH: According to a recent report, foreign militants have been able to secure themselves in Pakistan for years by obtaining national identity cards in exchange for bribes as low as $100. Once these uninvited guests acquire Pakistani identity cards, they gain the freedom to operate and do harm from within the country. The issue of foreign militants operating so easily in Pakistan has regional and even global implications. The country has long been a destination for aspiring global militants. Foreign governments, particularly neighbouring Afghanistan, have frequently accused elements of the Pakistani government of sheltering militant groups that frequent the porous and lawless tribal regions along the Afghan border.
Many Afghan refugees are also trying to acquire Pakistani citizenship for improved rights, but this group includes at least dozens of militants from foreign countries. Pakistani militants, often, also secure a second national identification card under a fake name, making it harder for local law-enforcement agencies to track and apprehend them. The main fault in the identity card scandal seems to lie with the corruption in our own system, combined with clever miscreants who take advantage of that system. I request the government to take deterrent action against this form of corruption and unethical behaviour, which puts the entire country at further risk of danger.
Shahad Hasil
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2015.
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