ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan here Friday said 82.5 million Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) out of the total 105 million had been verified in the three-month campaign.
Speaking at a press conference, the minister said the remaining CNICs would be verified in another month.
He said a permanent mechanism would be put in place for verification of CNICs to root out fake cards from NADRA system.
He informed that NADRA had identified 200,000 fake identity card holders.
The minister said that during the campaign 50,000 cards were blocked and 10,000 cases were sent to intelligence agencies for further probe.
He remarked that the previous governments did not pay any heed to the issue of fake identity cards compromising the national interest.
During campaign against fake documents, 2000 persons on their own disowned Pakistani nationality to avoid arrest and legal action, he said.
He said tens of thousands of CNICs had been blocked, adding it was his extreme desire that cards of genuine citizens should be unblocked and in that regard a policy would be announced next week.
The minister indicated to fix a time limit in which a person would be cleared for the issuance of his identity card, if nothing was found against him.
He said the government previously carried out crackdown against fake passport holders and cancelled 2000 diplomatic and official passports given to unauthorized persons.
In the past, 29,000 foreigners acquired Pakistani passports which were cancelled. Those passports were used for human trafficking.
Nisar said action was taken against 18 officials of NADRA and eight were arrested, seven were on pre-arrest bail while three were still at large.
More arrests would be carried out and departmental action would be taken against the accused who committed treason against the country and sold identity cards for money, he said.
He said the misuse of passports and CNICs had been minimized through a persistent campaign.
