ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body directed the National Database and Regulatory Authority (Nadra) to devise a mechanism through which information on organ donors could be included on CNICs.

The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice took up this matter after Muttahida Qaumi Movement Senator Mian Mohammad Ateeq Sheikh presented an amendment to the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act.

Senator Sheikh has been pushing to pass this amendment for a year, he told committee chair Senator Javed Abbasi from the PML-N, who believes it should not be rushed.

Senator Sheikh has argued that there should be a provision on identity cards to facilitate the donation of human organs and tissues in the event of accidental deaths, such as deaths caused by road accidents. Around the world, details of donors who wish to donate their organs after they die are included on identification cards, he said.

“Even in a third world country such as Sri Lanka, its nationals donate corneas to anyone around the world, drawing the attention of recipients the world over,” he said.

Pakistan could follow the same path, he said, adding: “We can donate our eyes and see the world long after we have died.”

In the draft bill, Senator Sheikh has suggested that Nadra add a provision on the front page of its application form asking for consent to donate organs or tissue in case of the individual’s accidental or brain death.

He also suggested that a column be included that allows the individual to select a single or a combination of organs, or all organs, that the individual has consented to donate.

“The national identity card may have a code displaying the words ‘organ donor’ in red,” the bill said.

“A huge mechanism is required for this change in the CNIC. It is an important mechanism, thus the legislation around it has to be drafted carefully,” Senator Abbasi said.

Nadra, however, said there is no room for such a provision on the CNIC. Instead, this information could be included on other forms of identification such as the driving licence.

“The 15 layers of the CNIC are already full of data,” a Nadra official told committee members.

The committee will invite the Nadra chairman for his input at its next meeting.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2019