The National Database & Registration Authority’s (Nadra) facilitation centres across Sindh process approximately 11,000 applications on a daily basis, Nadra’s provincial chief told The News on Thursday.
Director General Mir Ajam Khan Durrani said the Regional Head Office of Nadra covers 17 districts with three divisions (the Karachi Metropolitan City, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas), adding that the Regional Head Office also oversees 12 zonal offices.
Durrani said 27 Nadra registration centres (NRCs) and three mega centres are operating 24/7 in the Karachi Metropolitan City while 35 NRCs in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas, adding that 14 operational mobile registration vans are also functioning in the remote areas.
He said that all these facilitation centres work effectively to provide easy access to registration, adding that around 11,000 tokens are processed on a daily basis.
The DG said that 1,720 complaints against Nadra were received by the Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit (Pakistan Citizen’s Portal), adding that 1,692 of those had been resolved as of July 16, while the number of escalated complaints was zero.
Talking about the overall progress of the complaints received through different modules, he said they had received 6,228 complaints through different channels about mismanagement and other issues, adding that they had resolved 6,192 of them.
He said they were also running a programme called the National Re-Verification Programme, adding that they received 11,691 cases, of which 2,638 were resolved, while 9,053 were in process because of doubtful applicants not appearing before the Nadra Zonal Verification Board.
Durrani said that there was also a District Level Committee (DLC) of Nadra for the facilitation of the citizens, adding that they received 24,329 cases, of which 403 were cleared, while directives were issued for the pending 23,926 cases for their swift resolution.
He said they have also planned to set up more NRCs across the province in the financial year 2019-20, for which they have selected some locations.
One of the locations is Numaish Chowrangi, as the area is thickly populated and there is no Nadra centre from Ayesha Manzil (District Central) to Saddar and Numaish (District South); another is Mubarak Village, as there is no Nadra centre from Lyari (District South) and Hawkesbay to Mubarak Village (District West).
As for the people residing in areas from Baldia Town (District West) to Ittehad Town (District West), Nadra centres have been planned to be set up in the PAF Base Masroor area as well as on the main road in the Saeedabad Police Training Centre (District West) area.
There is no Nadra centre in any of the areas of Kharadar, Keamari, Mauripur, Sultanabad and II Chundrigar Road, for which they have planned offices to be set up in the areas of the KPT Building and the City Railway Station on II Chundrigar Road (District South). Centres have also been planned for Kaloi and Dahli talukas of District Tharparkar.
Responding to a question regarding the registration process of aliens, including Bengalis, DG Durrani said they were working in accordance with the April 19, 2017 amendment made by the Ministry of Interior: “The year 1978 may be read as 1979 wherever mentioned in the notification.”
The notification reads: “In exercise of power conferred under Section 47 of the National Database & Registration Authority Ordinance 2000 (VIII of 2000), the federal government constituted a review committee headed by National Assembly deputy speaker vide notification No. 8/37/2016-Nadra dated January 5, 2017. On the recommendations of the parliamentary committee, the federal government is pleased to approve the following mechanism for the clearance of blocked CNICs.
A blocked CNIC will be cleared if the applicant provides one or more of the following documents: land record registered prior to 1978 (verified by the revenue department), local/domicile certificate issued prior to 1978 and verified by the issuing authority, pedigree (Shajra-e-Nasab) issued and verified by the revenue department, government employment certificate (or of blood relative), employed before 1990, verified educational certificates (issued prior to 1978), passport issued to applicant prior to 1978, any other document issued by the Government of Pakistan prior to 1978 and verified by the issuing authority (including arms licence, driving licence or manual NIC issued prior to 1978 duly verified by record).
“Nadra will handle routine cases, while complex (blocked in confirm aliens / on agency report) cases will be dealt by the district level committee. The composition of the district level committee is: deputy commissioner / political agent, president; district police officer, member; Nadra assistant director, member; representative of the ISI, member and representative of the IB, member.
“The MNA of the respective district will monitor the progress. However, the responsibility of verification will be on the deputy commissioner / political agent. If the document being provided is from the district where the applicant is residing, then Nadra will decide the case in six working days, otherwise Nadra will decide the case in 30 working days.
“The district level committee will decide the verification status of the blocked CNICs within 30 days. The above-mentioned process will not be applicable on persons falling under the purview of Section 16-A of the Citizenship Act 1951.”
The section mentions which persons have lost or retained their citizenship: all persons who before December 16, 1971 were citizens of Pakistan domiciled in the territories that before the said day constituted East Pakistan, and who were residing in those territories on that day and are residing therein since that day voluntarily or otherwise shall cease to be citizens of Pakistan.