ISLAMABAD, Aug 29: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has issued 13,721 computerized national identity cards (CNICs) to the intending Hajis, an official of the authority said here on Friday.

The official said the intending Hajis were not taking interest in getting the CNICs owing to which they could face trouble while getting passports and other Haj-related documents.

He urged the intending Hajis to apply for the CNICs at the earliest to avoid any inconvenience at the time of issuance of Haj documents.

According to the decision taken by the cabinet, as many as 130,000 Pakistanis will perform Haj in 2004 under the regular and open schemes. However, so far only 20,095 intending Hajis have applied for the CNICs out of which 13,721 CNICs have been prepared and sent for distribution by Nadra.

The official said the remaining CNIC applications were being processed on urgent basis and the new cards will be prepared within the given time period.

The official said the ministry of religious affairs had also received about 13,000 applications from the intending Hajis for the CNICs.

He said the authority was in constant contact with the ministry of religious affairs to provide all possible facilities to the intending Hajis.

Nadra, he said, had finalized all the necessary arrangements to provide all intending Hajis with the computerized cards at the earliest.

He said Nadra’s 136 high-tech swift registration centres have established separate counters to facilitate Haj applicants.

“The intending Hajis will get urgent identity cards against the payment of Rs60 as normal fee only till September 30 after which the applicants be charged an additional Rs15 each as per government decision,” the official said.

Nadra has been informing its customers about the importance of the CNICs as the government had announced that the computerized identity cards were necessary for getting passports and other legal documents.

The CNICs would also be a prerequisite for all basic facilities like electricity, telephone connection and bank accounts after December 31, 2003.