SOMETHING seems wrong at the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) as computerised national identity cards (CNICs) are being issued to Afghan immigrants. Recently, I went to a Nadra Registration Centre in Quetta to get my CNIC renewed, and was shocked to know that an Afghan refugee had been registered as my second mother. The woman had been issued her CNIC as my father’s second wife.

After informing the Nadra officials that the woman had nothing to do at all with our family, I was asked to visit the Nadra verification cell and lodge a complaint, which I duly did. After waiting for about 15 days, owing to numerous similar cases pending, I was informed how illegally and smartly the Afghan woman was registered as a member of our family.

At the verification cell, I met complai-nants from various parts of Balochistan who had come with strange cases. One complai-nant told me his father had died years ago, and he recently came to know that an Afghan had been registered as his father in the Nadra database. The Afghan had also been issued a CNIC on the basis of the fake family data. Another man was there with the complaint that an Afghan had been registered as his brother.

In such cases, the Afghan refugees in future may claim share in family property and much more. And, come to think of it, even Pakistanis may concoct a fake family history to claim inheritance in targeted families. Nadra, which was once considered one of the most transparent and corruption-free institutions, stands to lose credibility if Afghans continue to get Pakistani nationality and becoming members of Pakistani families.

If the immigrants can get Pakistani citizenship so easily, will the Indian agencies not exploit such opportunities? The Afghans being given Pakistani citizenship are known to have been involved in several crimes in the host country, and they have surely contributed much to the worsening law and order situation over the years.

The presence of illegal Afghans has also had a negative impact on the national economy, too, contributing to unemployment and cross-border smuggling. And, indeed, they have done great damage to Pakistan’s image internationally.

To check Afghan refugees’ fraudulent membership in Pakistani families, everyone, especially in Balochistan, should get the Family Registration Certificate (FRC) from Nadra. They should lodge complaint against both the refugees and Nadra if they ever find an Afghan registered as a family member and holding a CNIC illegally.

Besides, to revive its transparency and credibility, Nadra should have an enquiry commission to ascertain how these Afghan refugees were and are being registered as members of Pakistani families. Also, it should find out the loopholes in the system. Nadra should begin an intensive anti-corruption drive against its employees and bring the culprits to book.

Moreover, Nadra should come up with better policies to prevent the registration of any Afghan refugee as a Pakistani, cancel the CNICs of Afghan nationals, and ensure that no such illegal acts are repeated anymore. More importantly, no Afghan should ever be recruited in Nadra.

Abdul Basit Muhammad Hasni
Quetta

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022