PESHAWAR, Dec 27: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has detected fake computerised national identity cards, designed in Frontier Region of Darra Adamkhel and in Bara, Khyber Agency, a senior official said.

“Our staff have seized a number of bogus computerised cards at Peshawar Haji Camp. These cards were probably prepared in Darra Adamkhel and Bara, Khyber Agency,” regional director Nadra Brig Mohammad Anwar Khan confirmed to Dawn on Saturday.

He, however, did not disclose the name of the accused and exact number of bogus cards on account of secrecy, saying that the matter was being investigated.

Nadra, what the director explained, had put a unique number in the newly-designed computerised identity cards that could not be possible to install through any other machine.

He further said that Nadra had set up its centre at the Haji Camp to detect fake cards because the government was very cautious about Pakistanis who would perform Haj this year.

Mr Anwar said aliens were trying to obtain computerised cards but Nadra had blocked all illegal channels in that regard. He was confident that computerised cards were 100 per cent safe as there was no chance of forgery.

He went on to say that some Pakistanis who were involved in illegal activities or crimes were now getting bogus identity cards from Dara Adamkhel or any other part of the tribal belt, after exhausting other options.

Officials suspected that a large number of Afghan refugees had obtained manual identity cards that would not be valid after Dec 31.

They said refugees were now trying to get computerised identity cards for their second generation to legalise their stay in Pakistan, still host to some 1.2 million registered Afghan refugees.

Official statistics show that Nadra’s Peshawar office has so far detected 23,583 suspect cases in the NWFP and the adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) whereas 1,653 FIRs have been lodged against locals and aliens with different police stations.

Officials said maximum cases belonged to Peshawar, Mardan, Hangu, Swat and other areas, while situation in Fata was comparatively satisfactory.

They said Nadra had achieved its target in the NWFP and Fata as more than 60 per cent population had obtained computerised national identity cards.

“So far, nearly nine million people have received computerised identity cards in the NWFP and Fata,” according to an official.

Sources said despite conservative background and low literacy rate the authority was receiving positive response from Fata, and local population was very cooperative with the Nadra staff.

Nadra has maximum number of swift centres in the NWFP and Fata and has set up 37 swift centres, including four mobile teams, in the region whereas 15 more swift centres are in the pipeline.

According to the Nadra officials their system was very people friendly although some times the concerned staff made mistakes.

They said the authority had achieved its target in the province and there was no card in the backlog.