Political activists ransack Nadra office in Defence
By: Zeeshan Azmat
Karachi: A group of political activists took the law in their hands on Thursday when they ransacked the office of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) near Nisar Shaheed Park, Phase-IV DHA.
According to sources, people affiliated with the Awami National Party (ANP) first opened aerial fire outside the Nadra office. Then they stormed into the office, manhandled staff and smashed cameras, computers and other equipment at the centre.
According to details, around 12 to 15 armed men on six to seven motorcycles surrounded the entrance of the centre and forced its staff to receive and process their applications for Karachi-based computerised national identity cards (CNICs).
Since their application forms were incomplete and lacked supplementary documents, the staff members turned them away. This lead to chaos as the infuriated men started misbehaving.
After the incident, the staff members suspended work and locked up their centre as they demanded foolproof security against such miscreants.
According to area police, FIR number 54/13 has been registered.
The Nadra DG Sindh had been contacted in Islamabad and informed about the incident, Nadra officials said. “We are waiting for his further instructions and would follow his advice in this regard,” a spokesperson informed.
To protest the misdemeanour, Nadra centres in Defence 1 and 2, Clifton and Khayaban-e-Ittehad would remain closed on Friday (today). The media cell of the ANP Sindh denied that the hooligans belonged to their party.
“If they (miscreants) were Pakhtoon then it does not necessarily mean they were workers of the ANP,” he added.
Procedures unbiased
The Nadra has categorically denied any political bias affecting the process of the issuance of the CNICs.
The database authority has always followed strict standard operating procedures regarding the issuance of all types of identity documents. These procedures had been set to ensure 100 per cent accuracy in the registration process to avoid any identity theft or fraud, a Nadra official said.
The authority takes pride in noting that these standard operating procedures are applied to all Pakistani nationals regardless of their social or political standing. The rules set out for the registration, of any sort, at the Nadra were so streamlined that they did not allow for intervention within the process by any external party, she further said.
“The process at all Nadra registration centres, throughout the country, is unanimous and the staff adheres to a stringent code of conduct, which is facilitated by state-of-the-art technology to ensure full security and accuracy of all data.”
“Not a single citizen of the state can get his or her CNIC made or renewed without being physically present at the registration centre. During the process of data acquisition for renewals, a fresh photograph of the applicant is captured along with fingerprints of both hands. These are then matched with all the details that were previously held at Nadra’s biometric database to remove any doubt regarding the identity of the individual. It is practically impossible to obtain a reprint of the CNIC in the absence of a CNIC holder,” she explained.
Moreover, the applicant is issued the same 13 digit CNIC number as was assigned earlier. Not to mention that all other particulars remain the same, ensuring that no unfair benefit is obtained with these reprinted (duplicate) cards.
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