The Lower House of parliament, on Friday, was informed that more than 13,000 alien/suspects managed to obtain NADRA’s computerised national identity cards (CNICs). Responding to a question in the National Assembly (NA), Interior Minister Rehman Malik reiterated that there would be no compromise on national security. “The ministry has blocked these cards and sent these to law-enforcement agencies like FIA, Special Branch and others for proper verification,” he said, clarifying that the blocked CNICs were around 13,000 and not 80,000 and their verification was in progress.
“These fake CNIC holders also got Pakistani passports and they might be involved in smuggling or other illegal activities abroad,” Malik said, adding, “Such type of activities will create bad image of Pakistan in rest of the world.” “The cards cannot be used for any transaction, including preparation of passport, opening of bank accounts and acquisition of mobile phone connection,” he explained.
He said union council nazims and naib nazims had attested application forms of these aliens, including Afghans and Iranians.
He said during the initial investigation, 907 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered against those foreigners who obtained fake CNICs and assured the House that proper action would be taken against these persons and those who attested their forms. The minister assured the House that those genuinely deserving would be issued CNICs, as it was their constitutional right.
The minister informed the NA that NADRA had recently cleared many suspect cards. “In this regard, documents/information provided by the applicants were scrutinised by verifying agencies like Special Brach and Intelligence Brach (IB) as federal verifying agency,” he said. He said in addition, facts/information provided by applicants were also verified by NADRA. The minister of interior also informed that around 8,000 cards had been blocked in Balochistan of suspect/alien applicants on the basis of reported as alien by government agencies, proof of registration (PoR) card holder in addition to CNIC holder, fake particulars, holder of dual or bogus manual NIC/CNIC, fake parentage, old NIC issued to two different persons, fake date of birth or addresses, fake attesters and fake identifications papers.
It is also a fact that Special Branch Balochistan had intimated that in future verification and confirmation of national status might be carried out through concerned district police officers (DPO) and in case of Levies (B) area through deputy commissioner concerned.
In this regard comments from ISI and IB are being sought before taking further action. To another question, raised by Jamshed Dasti, regarding smuggling through containers to Afghanistan, NATO/ISAF and said that no action was taken by the government.
