ISLAMABAD: The first meeting of the National Implementation Committee under the National Registration and Biometric Policy (NR&BP) framework was convened by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) at its headquarters on Wednesday.

The meeting marked a significant step in actualising the NR&BP framework, designed to improve Pakistan’s national registration and biometric ecosystem. The NR&BP framework was officially notified by the federal government on January 1, 2025. It is a transformative initiative aimed at addressing critical gaps in the country’s current registration and biometric systems. This policy will also contribute towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 16.9 which aims to provide legal identity for all.

The framework has identified several key challenges in the existing registration ecosystem. Key ones are systematic disintegration, inconsistencies in regulatory frameworks, limited accessibility and absence of national level registration and biometric policies. These issues have led to low registration rates, data discrepancies, identity theft, fraudulent registrations and issues of access to registration services.

The NR&BP framework aims to create a unified, secure and efficient registration system. One of its key features is the integration of Nadra’s infrastructure with all feeder agencies, including Provincial Civil Registration Management System (CRMS).

The framework will also introduce biometric acquisition and verification at the union council level to tackle identity theft, establish Digital ID to foster multi-dimensional integration and seamless collaboration across various government agencies and private sector.

Additionally, the biometric policy under the framework will introduce standardised protocols for collection, storage and usage of biometric data across government agencies and private sector while ensuring robust data security and privacy measures.

The National Steering Committee, led by the interior minister, is providing strategic direction for the policy’s implementation. The National Implementation Committee (NIC), chaired by Nadra’s chairman focuses on the development and execution of the strategic guidelines.

Speaking at the first NIC meeting, the Nadra chairman emphasised the importance of this initiative in strengthening Pakistan’s identity management systems. He highlighted that this effort will aid in governance delivery and enhance national security by providing citizens with a secure and accessible means of legal identity verification.

The meeting was attended by the leadership and key representatives from various ministries and organisations, including Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives (MoPDSI); Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA); Ministry of Interior (MoI); Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (MoIPC); Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication (MoIT&T); Ministry of Science & Technology (MoS&T); Ministry of Law & Justice; Local Government Departments from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir; Provincial IT Boards from Punjab, KP and AJK; Federal Investigation Agency (FIA); Immigration and Passports (IMPASS); Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS); and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The meeting also saw online participation from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Provincial IT Boards of Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Nadra has also requested the general public to submit their feedback on the NR&BP Framework which is available on its website. Implementation Committee aims to proffer finalised National Registration & Biometric Policies by May 30, 2025, to the federal government.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025