KARACHI, Dec 2: The Karachi coordination committee of the Pakistan People’s Party in its meeting on Tuesday expressed concern over the National Database and Registration Authority’s announcement that it would discontinue the issuance of national identity cards from Dec 31.

The committee demanded that there should be no cut-off date and the fee should be kept at the minimum.

It claimed that hardly 10 per cent of the eligible people had been issued new NICs.

The purpose of establishing Nadra and discontinuing the people-friendly method of issuance of identity cards was to disenfranchize the lower strata of the society, which remained a solid PPP vote bank, it alleged. The high cost, the procedural difficulties, the mismanagement, the performance in 2002 elections, the very limited number of cards issued and now the notice of a cut-off date, all worked against the interests of the working class and effectively disenfranchized them, it said.

After expenses of billions of rupees from the public exchequer, it was the general public which stood at a disadvantage as a result of the working of the organization, it said.

The committee recalled that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had introduced the NIC as a fundamental right, which was to be provided to the people free of cost.

It said the world community should take immediate measure to ensure the end of military occupation and return of peace and democracy in Iraq. It expressed anguish over the killing in Iraq of the two girls, Azra and Fatima.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah presided over the meeting held at Bilawal House, which was attended by Senator Raza Rabani, Nisar Khuhro, Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Prof N.D. Khan and Taj Haider.

It offered Fateha for the departed souls of Prof Hamza Alavi and Ali Ahmad Brohi.