THATTA, May 18: Nadra’s slow performance in far-flung areas and insufficient interest of other concerned quarters will deprive some 239,194 voters to use their right of franchise in next general elections, says Dawn report on Friday. Data was gathered from official statistics and reliable sources.

As per official electoral register of 2002, the number of voters was 6,17,194 in six constituencies of the district as against the under preparation list of 2006 having enrolment of 3,78,000 voters – 51 per cent male and 49 per cent female.

The reason behind this decrease in fresh electoral list was said to be the condition of obtaining the CNIC.

Nadra officials in Thatta on the request of anonymity claimed that illiterate people living in far-flung areas in coastal belt were reluctant to obtain the CNICs of female family members because of the photograph condition.

However, village people told Dawn that many of them gave up the idea as they got exhausted by the formalities and repeated approaches to limited centres of Nadra.

Refusing to disclose the exact number of CNICs issued till date, an official said that prior to the inauguration of Nadra office in June 2002, about 2,50,000 CNICs had already been made through the district registration office in Thatta.

He said four Nadra Swift Registration Centres at Mirpur Sakro, Mirpur Bathoro, Thatta and Jati, and the Satellite Swift Registration Centre at Sujawal, were satisfactorily issuing the CNICs to legitimate residents. Nadra's Thatta centre also had a mobile facility. Some villagers said that the fee of Rs70 for ordinary and Rs150 for urgent CNIC was too high for poor people and it should be exempted.

An official of the assistant election commissioner, Thatta told this scribe that from June 1, 2007, the list of voters will be put on display at 500 centres. These centres will be established at primary schools and 21 offices under the supervision of assistant registration officers to facilitate those whose names could not be enrolled earlier.

District Nazim Thatta Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi when contacted said that he had advised to withdraw the condition of CNIC during casting of vote. He said that only Nadra’s services at doorstep would help people in getting their names enrolled in electoral lists or else they’ll remain deprived of their voting right forever.

He said that according to 1998 census, the population of Thatta district was 11,13,194 which must’ve crossed 1.2 million by now with a relative increase in number of voters.

The district government helped Nadra in its drive to prepare the CNICs for interior people which later was suspended for unknown reasons. Now, it appears difficult for Nadra to achieve its task before elections.

Opposition leaders, including the MPAs Sassui Palijo, Humera Alwani, former MNAs Wazir Memon, Babu Ghulam Hussain and others alleged that Nadra, in connivance with the ruling party had issued CNICs to illegal immigrants in coastal belt. Revenue and election offices were serving future agenda of the ruling party for its success in general and next local bodies elections.