KHAR: Scores of residents of Bajaur Agency, whose computerised national identity cards have been blocked, on Monday threatened to hold a hunger strike camp in front of the parliament house in Islamabad if their cards were not unblocked immediately.

They made the threat at a demonstration held outside the Bajaur Press Club here. They assailed the slow verification process by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The protesters were holding placards inscribed with slogans against Nadra and the local administration for undue delay in verifying their blocked CNICs. The participants also chanted slogans against Nadra and the political administration.

The protesters pointed out that CNICs of about 6,000 people had been blocked since 2016 owing to unknown reasons.

They said the government had also formed a committee to verify the blocked cards, but it failed to carry out its task despite passage of about one year.

They said not having CNICs caused them problems, particularly during travel out of the agency. They said many people had lost their jobs in other parts of the country as they could not move out without CNICs.

Moreover, they said visas of many people to Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, had expired owing to the blocked CNICs.

They said they had met political administration officials on many occasions, urging them to speed up the verification of CNICs, but to no avail.

They appealed to the federal interior minister, KP governor, DG Nadra and additional chief secretary Fata to take notice of the issue.

Later, representatives of political parties and social activists addressed a press conference, decrying blockade of the CNICs of the people of Bajaur.

Meanwhile, an official of Nadra in Khar said at least 4,000 CNICs had been blocked in Bajaur. He said the verification committee comprising officials of local administration and Nadra had so far held only three meetings since its formation in May 2017.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2018