ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: The government on Friday extended by a month the cut-off date for the validity of the old national identity cards till Jan 31, 2004. The deadline was due on Dec 31.

This was announced by Interior Minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat in the Senate when senators pressed him to extend the last date to facilitate the people who were facing problems because of rush at the swift centres of the National Database and Registration Authority.

Responding to a call-attention notice of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Babar Ghori, the minister had earlier ruled out the extension but when the senators kept pressing him to do so, he obliged them.

He informed the house that the deadline for the old cards had been extended twice during the year and whenever it approached, there was were demands to extend it.

He informed the house that Nadra had issued over 33 million computerized identity cards but withheld 65,000 because of doubts about the identity of the applicants. He said 412,122 forms for computerized cards were under process and 581,883 had been rejected due to incomplete information.

The minister said foreigners had in the past succeeded in getting Pakistani passports on the basis of old identity cards and on many occasions such people were arrested in different countries for terrorism or other crimes. “This brings bad name to the country,” he said.

He said the process of issuance of the CNICs would continue after the deadline.

He said Nadra had been directed to work till late night even on holidays to issue the new cards and about 140 swift centres in 120 districts had been set up in addition to the authority’s offices. A helpline to assist the people in getting the new cards had been established, he said.

He denied the allegation that the data of 11,000 applicants in Karachi had been lost and said the authority had a secure and modern computer system with complete backup.