WE have often heard of people getting robbed of their belongings during mugging incidents, including driving licences and CNICs. After reporting the incident to local police and having lodged an FIR, the victims approach the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) and the driving licence branch of traffic police. All government offices, including these two, charge the customers full fee as if they are issuing the documents for the first time. Why?

The person concerned has been through a trauma and has lost the original documents in a mugging incident for which one has computerised receipt of FIR issued by a police station. Charging fresh fee in full suggests the departments are penalising the person for getting mugged. This is like adding insult to injury.

Actually, this is nothing short of black comedy in which people are first mugged by the urchins roaming the streets and then by officials sitting in offices.

The spike in crimes is an indication of failure of government and its agencies. Yet, hapless victims are made to pay for their collective failure by this government department or that. How does that work?

M. Nadeem Nadir
Kasur

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2022