ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has lauded the citizens’ response to the CNICs re-verification drive.
“Active participation of citizens highlights importance of this national security drive and also promises its success,” said the minister while chairing a meeting to review the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA’s) ongoing CNICs re-verification drive.
The minister was informed that over 400,000 citizens had checked their family tree (family record) by sending messages on their own even before the start of the drive.
The authority has received over 13000 complaints, where citizens have pointed out aliens in their family trees, since the inception of CNIC re-verification drive launched on July 1. “Out of these one-third are confirmed aliens, the minister was told.
Similarly, the response towards the NADRA’s Aliens Reporting Helpline has also been encouraging. It was informed that on the basis of information received so far, more than 50 cases were referred to the NADRA’s vigilance cell for re-verification and further scrutiny.
The meeting was attended by the interior secretary, special secretary interior, NADRA chairman and senior officials of the interior ministry.
Citizens can text their CNICs numbers by sending an SMS on 8008 to verify their family members record.
Nisar had ordered the authorities concerned to keep the CNICs re-verification drive simple for the citizens, so as to make it a result-oriented drive for achieving the target of removing aliens from the NADRA’s database.
For the purpose, the NADRA has developed a multi-pronged strategy which includes data analysis schemes, utilisation of the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA’s) data for identification of aliens who have managed to get Pakistani identity in the past, amnesty scheme, establishment of a helpline and family tree intrusion detection through SMS.
The interior minister also appreciated media role in the re-verification drive, adding that greater awareness of masses through media would positively pay back to make the campaign a success.
He reiterated that the CNICs re-verification drive was a national security drive aimed at cleansing NADRA’s database from all aliens who had managed to get CNICs using various means. He, however, admitted that the re-verification drive was a difficult task but it was vital for ensuring security of the state.
“Secrecy of the callers should be maintained since citizens would be disposing their national duty by providing information to the state institutions over aliens holding Pakistani CNICs and passports, he directed.
