ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Affairs Chaudhry Nisar on Wednesday gave a 48-hour deadline to National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for preparing a road-map to launch a country-wide CNIC re-verification campaign of the entire population.
The national plan for re-verification of CNICs has been ordered by the interior minister after questions were raised over a Pakistani passport and CNIC found from drone-hit car wreckage site in Balochistan, claimed to be documents held by the slain Taliban chief Mullah Mansoor.
According to a statement, the minister was chairing a meeting at NADRA headquarters, also attended by the chairman NADRA, director general Immigration and Passports and officials of FIA. “NADRA has 48 hours for submitting a work plan with a set deadline for initiation of National Plan for Re-verification of CNICs across Pakistan,” the statement quoted Chaudhry Nisar as having said.
After the emergence of the CNIC of Mullah Mansoor under fake identity of Wali Muhammad, the message has gone to the world that anyone can acquire Pakistani CNIC, Nisar said. “Let’s not send a message to the world that Pakistani ID is easily available to anyone who is willing to pay for it. Being a responsible state we will ensure that the usage of CNIC by any alien is completely eliminated after this exercise,” he said. This measure, the handout said, would help ensure that in future no ‘alien’ will be able to use Pakistani CNIC and passport.
The interior minister asked to speed up the process of blocking of Pakistani CNICs held by aliens and also directed NADRA chairman to “purge NADRA of corrupt elements on a fast-track basis.”
