QUETTA: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior Affairs which met here on Tuesday urged the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to immediately issue blocked NICs (national identity cards) in Balochistan.

The meeting, presided over by committee’s chairperson Senator Kalsoom Perveen, was also attended by some members of the Balochistan Assembly and Nadra officials.

The meeting decided to form committees at district levels for verification process of blocked NICs in Balochistan.

The committee members urged the Nadra officials to issue the blocked NICs so that affected people could use their right of vote in the upcoming local governments’ elections.

The Nadra officials informed the meeting that a total of 28,920 NICs were blocked in Balochistan due to incomplete documents. They said Nadra had set up 18 offices in towns and cities bordering with Iran and Afghanistan where rules were being strictly implemented.

Nadra (Balochistan) Director General Colonel Abid informed the meeting that foreign citizens in bordering cities were being prevented from obtaining Pakistan’s national identity cards. For that purpose, he added, Nadra had strictly implemented verification rules.

“Afghan refugees use local family trees which mislead Nadra officials,” he said, adding, “We are utilising all resources to stop Afghan nationals from obtaining Pakistani NICs”.

Colonel Abid informed the meeting that action was being taken against Nadra officials involved in corrupt practices.

Senator Sardar Shafiq Tareen, Leader of the Opposition in Balochistan Assembly Malik Sikandar, MPA Ahmed Nawaz Baloch, Malik Naseer Shahwani, Nasarullah Zerey, Naseebullah Marri, Mobeen Khilji, Abdul Qadir Nayal, Sanaullah Baloch, Shakeela Naveed Dehwar and Akhtar Hussain Langove attended the meeting.

They demanded steps for stopping foreigners from obtaining Pakistani NICs.

Ms Perveen urged the director general to increase the number of Nadra officials and its mobile registration vehicles in remote areas of Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2019