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A day after Pakhtuns held protests in Lahore demanding issuance of computerised national identity cards (CNICs), National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Chairman Usman Mobin said on Sunday that the ID cards of Afghan citizens had not been blocked because of their nationality or any prejudice.
The protesters, originally Afghans who have now been living in Lahore for years, held a demonstration outside Prime Minister Imran Khan's Zaman Park residence on Saturday, saying that the PML-N government had cancelled their ID cards due to which they were facing various problems, including those regarding enrolment of their children in schools.
They demanded that the prime minister intervene in the matter. PM Khan had directed the Nadra chairman to meet the protesters and resolve their issues.
Mobin today claimed that there were three main reasons behind the blocking of ID cards. He said that Afghan nationals were falsely declared as family members of those settled in Pakistan in exchange for money, so that they could be issued ID cards. However, when property disputes arose it would surface that they are, in fact, not related, so such ID cards would then be blocked.
A second reason he provided was that some refugee families who accepted money in exchange for 'voluntary' repatriation to Afghanistan would then return to Pakistan and get ID cards made again.
Thirdly, he claimed, was that some citizens retained Afghan passports while holding Pakistani ID cards, which is why they would then get blocked.
Mobin added that this issue had been ongoing for about 40 years now and "would not be resolved in a day". The Interior Ministry was forwarded some recommendations on the matter.
Nadra officials said earlier that they would only issue CNICs after completing all legal formalities.
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Comments (46) Closed
Sep 02, 2018 02:41pm
Mr.Chairman this is not the case, there is extreme discrimination and humiliation of Pukhtoons across all the NADRA offices except KPK. Your institution is deliberately encouraging this trend. You may just visit any of NADRA office at Karachi and talk to Pukhtons mothers and sister who are humiliated on daily basis in the name of so-called verification and credentials.
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Sep 02, 2018 02:50pm
I had the experience with Nadra karachi they blocked my card and asking exta documents which was not applicable it was because my card was issued in quetta office and they discriminate people of balochistan when they apply in other parts of pakistan Nadra staff think balochistan is not part of pakistan.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:05pm
@Danish
NADRA is the best national institution and it must carry out its duties as per law.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:07pm
@inzar
There is no discrimination what so ever. Everybody knows that Afghan refugee brothers and sisters have acquired illegal ID cards. So this must be stopped, as this creates problems for families to whom they relate in their fake documents.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:09pm
Nadra chairman should be ashamed to say that this problem has been lingering for the past 40 years. What is he trying to say, that Pakhtuns should not object to this discrimination simply because it has been going on for so long.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:12pm
Why they were issued CNICs by NADRA if they were not Pakistanis? What action did NADRA take against their own employees for the forgery? Please stop discrimination on the caste basis because it results into rift between the people of Pakistan.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:13pm
Why the NICs issued to afghan nationals? do they want to bring more drug and weapons to Pakistan?
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Sep 02, 2018 03:26pm
Afghans have somehow obtained a number of passports specially in Gen Zia time. Many Afghans were working on Pak passports in Saudi Arabia in those days. The background of such people must be checked very well and their cards and passports should be cancelled.
It is right that many families have discovered some strange names in their family trees. Those names must have been inserted by Nadra employees. All citizens should check their family records in Nadra. In Karachi and Lahore etc Nadra should post adequately skilled persons who can easily investigate and have enough knowledge to know , who is Spakistani Pukhtoon and who is Afghan. Some ex army persons may have those skills. Or some employees of Interior Ministry can be posted.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:39pm
A neutral JIT of people with integrity must investigate a couple of dozen cases to establish who is at fault, asking Nadra to address the issue will not solve the problem as Nadra according to victims is biased against them.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:39pm
More than half of pakhtoons living in Karachi are not from KPK, everyone knows that.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:45pm
Why should Afghans have Pakistani ID cards? Are they Pakistani now?
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Sep 02, 2018 03:49pm
I am pashtoon and I've never faced any discrimination.send these afghans back to where they belong.
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Sep 02, 2018 03:57pm
NADRA is doing its duty according to country's laws, Pakistani ID card is not a free gift card. You will have to prove you are original Pakistani.
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Sep 02, 2018 04:07pm
Nadra Chairman is right when he says that Afghan are misusing Nadra facilities. It's unfortunate that some locals are party to this fraud. At times some local like me come into Nadra security scrutiny. My verification was completed in a very professional manner and I was issued NIC. We as Pakistani have to cooperate in case we want our identify not to be missused.
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Sep 02, 2018 04:10pm
In my view, NADR's chairman is crony of Nawaz Sharif's government and biased - he should either resign or removed immediately. There should be no jobs for such people in government, who were recruited as 'safashi'.
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Sep 02, 2018 04:12pm
NADRA is doing to its best to protect the citizens of Pakistan by identifying the legality of the applicants. So no discrimination.
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Sep 02, 2018 04:16pm
I have applied for renewal of my ID card through online services for which I submitted Rs.1600, I received sms that your card has been printed after that I don't know where my card has been thrown by Nadra. I am sure they have thrown it in basket. Because I called Nadra more than 100 times and sent them more than 10 emails but no response has given by them.
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Sep 02, 2018 04:32pm
PM Imran Khan,
kindly take notice of the illegal promotion that were finalized during N leg govt, please.
Can any body let him know about that,please?
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Sep 02, 2018 05:35pm
Afghans National shouldnt be given any ID card in pakistan instead ask them to go and get your own ID card as afghanistan becomes world super power and their president claim that he can make pakistan cry and threaten our army and Prime minister in his speeches. why these Afghans are not getting out of my country. please let them go away. leave us alone
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Sep 02, 2018 06:02pm
@inzar They’re only blocking Afghan refugee ID cards not Pashtuns of Pakistan
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Sep 02, 2018 06:03pm
No one should be granted CNIC or Passport without due diligence. That's how the law works. If someone is trying to bypass the law by holding protests or putting pressure then that should be resisted. Way too many refugees have exploited the corrupt system to get illegal citizens ship.
Having said that, if they are legitimate citizens then their complaints should be addressed; pakhtoons or not.
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Sep 02, 2018 06:04pm
@inzar Obviously Afghan refugees ( Not Pakustani pashtun) ID cards will be blocked If they got it through Illegal means
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Sep 02, 2018 06:44pm
NADRA is the most inefficient organization in Pakistan. I had applied for the POCs of my two sons four years ago. I never got these cards and I had to reapply and pay the full fee again (Rs. 15850 per person). It has been around one year that I reapplied. One card was made by NADRA the other one is not yet made. I have sent them around 100 emails and still they don't move an inch.
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Sep 02, 2018 07:04pm
This guy should be in jail. Shame on these fakes.
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Sep 02, 2018 07:40pm
Document varifications is not blocking. All those who are not Pakistanis should not have ID cards.
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Sep 02, 2018 07:43pm
NADRA should follow the law of land, however, it should not discriminate against anybody based on ethnicity. Prejudice is a contagion and it must be eliminated.
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Sep 02, 2018 08:36pm
Everybody here in KPK knows that many CNICs here are being held illegally by Afghan nationals. There are lots of serious issues that need to be resolved carefully, this matter should not be politicized .
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Sep 02, 2018 09:04pm
@inzar well said. All pukhtoon residing in other parts of the country are not Afghan refugees. This discrimination on the basis of ethnicity prevalent norms, are totally against provisions of our constitutional rights, but have been allowed to perpetually happen due to inbuilt prejudices & insulting behavior of our officialdom, which needs to be checked and corrected. It is painful to see that even after seven decades, we still remain divided among ethnic, linguistic faultline against the solemn wishes of great Jinnah, & could not become a cohesive nation. Therefore, instead of justifying his department’s questionable conduct, the NADRA chief must form a committee to throughly check the grievances of the protesters & bring its resolution to the satisfaction of all. Even if in certain cases it is Afghan families trying to visit NADRA for official business, the officials have no right whatsoever to be uncourteous & outright abusive to their female members. NADRA needs to discourage this.
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Sep 02, 2018 09:04pm
Keeping law and order situation of Pakistan it is imperative to full fill law before declaring them pakistani nationals
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Sep 02, 2018 09:05pm
First complete the fencing of the border to ensure that all unlawful enteries have stopped. Afghans who have been living in Pakistan for at least 20+ years and any of their children born in Pakistan must be given Pakistani citizenship in order to resolve this issue. The others should be given permanent residency with option to return to Afghanistan.
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Sep 02, 2018 09:21pm
@Malik Because he is working for Nawaz Sharif only.
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Sep 02, 2018 09:26pm
During my stay in Peshawar a lot of pathans complained that why afghans have pk id cards. Mostly they were businessmen. But its a serious issue and those cards need to be cancelled.
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Sep 02, 2018 10:02pm
Afghans must not be entertained, they must be deported on urgent basis. They are a security risk. We need to wake up!!!!
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Sep 02, 2018 10:13pm
Discrimination is everywhere but not a good thing to do. Take it easy
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Sep 02, 2018 10:34pm
There is something wrong with NADRA. NADRA needs overhauling.
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Sep 02, 2018 10:35pm
NADRA is biased. Its discriminatrory role against Pakhtoons is evident.
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Sep 02, 2018 10:57pm
I from Mardan and living in MALAYSIA for 20 years since i was 22 and have got Malaysian Permanent resident and married here. and these Nadra incompetent officials and the corrupt embassy staff in KUALA LUMPUR give us so much trouble to renew ID cards or passports giving various excuses torture people mentally. what kind of ill mannered corrupt officials are been sent by the former corrupt pmln and ppp governments. hope our new honorable PM Imran khan watch on these people and replace sent honest officials here to take care of the citizens instead of this old staff harassing them
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Sep 02, 2018 11:11pm
My friend who is living in FATA( which is now part of kpk)has same issue. Someone has falsely declared his family as relative. So Nadra after sometimes cancelled ID cards of both victims and forgers! Now my friend who is studying here in Lahore has many problems. Nadra should not cancel at least ID cards of Pakistanis who are living here for centuries
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Sep 03, 2018 12:01am
This subject is not rocket science, it needs a common sense approach.
Details of all refugees and their kit and kins including photographs/finger prints should be held in a data base and updated with information of births/deaths as and when such events take place. Every single identity card application when received by NADRA anywhere in the country should be checked against this data base. Job done!
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Sep 03, 2018 12:17am
There are some issues with NADRA and improvement can always be looked at all levels. There are some slow/lazy workers who do not want to help or do their job with enthusiasm. Managers at each office can watchout this problem.
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Sep 03, 2018 12:19am
Why is this happening in Pakistan? PM Imran Khan must take strong action agaisnt Nadra. Why Pakhtuns ID cards are being blocked. As far as Afghan nationals are concerned let the government handle them properly, after all this is a security risk you simply just don’t know who are you giving Nadra ID cards too.
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Sep 03, 2018 12:20am
Afghani nationals should not be issued Nadra Cards. Please send them back to their beautiful Afghanistan .
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Sep 03, 2018 01:39am
Afghans are our brothers but they are creating troubles for us since decades. IDs were issued as part of our affection with them but then in return we have got terrorism, kidnapping, ransom, weapons and drugs. So better stay in your country and build yourself as a credible strong nation.
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Sep 03, 2018 03:16am
Stop issuing National ID Cards to Afghans. First verify then issue cards to Pakistanis
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Sep 03, 2018 07:32am
Afghans should go back to their country or to India as they are not with Pakistan on any front and they are with India so both should go to India and not use our resources,Afghans should not be welcomed in Pakistan.
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Sep 03, 2018 11:01am
NADRA already has a system of verification for issuing CNICs. Afghan nationals need to adhere to the rules governing this system which cannot be altered on the behest of few people protesting without a legal basis. These people need to be send back to their country as soon as possible.
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