CM concerned over NICs blockage

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has termed the blockage of National Identity Cards (NICs) of countless of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on basis of their tribes and ethnicity as highly discriminatory attitude on the part of federal government.

The chief minister expressed dismay and concern of provincial government on the issue during meeting with NADRA DG Gohar Ahmad Khan who called on him at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Thursday, said a handout.

The chief minister asked for reviewing such an inimical attitude forthwith, unblocking the genuine NICs in the earliest and clarifying the situation in next couple of days.Gohar Khan, however, told that the federal government realised sensitivity of the issue wherein certain concrete steps were being taken to unblock many NICs whereas system was also being evolved about verification process and other public complaints on blocked NICs. However, he explained that NADRA was facing shortage of work force in the verification process.

The chief minister, while expressing dissatisfaction at this explanation, directed to summon joint meeting of the NADRA as well as the federal and provincial intelligence and security agencies including Home, Revenue, Police and Pak Army to be held within a fortnight at Peshawar.

He made it clear that he would himself attend this meeting to see the development and adopt the future strategy of provincial government in light of it.The chief minister lamented that miseries of the poor people of this province were multiplied with blocking of their NICs which otherwise played front role in war against terrorism and this situation was quite unbearable for his government.