KHAAR, March 13: Political administration of the Bajaur Agency has initiated action against its clerical staff and Maliks of the agency for wrongly verifying Afghan refugees as Pakistani nationals.

The number of such refugees who have received cards from National Database and Registr-ation Authority has exceeded over 2,000, an official told Dawn.

The official said that Nadra had deputed mobile teams in Bajaur Agency to collect forms for the computerised national identity cards that had started its work in June last year and completed their job in about one month’s time.

Alongside, the administration had also authorized political Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar of each sub-division to verify the antecedents of applicants and their forms.

However, in Mamond and Salarzai sub-divisions, the two officers had empowered political Moharrars to do the necessary verification on their behalf.

It was later discovered that the clerks and other officials in collusion with tribal elders and Maliks wrongly verified the applications of over 2,000 Afghan refugees and declared them Pakistani nationals in exchange of money.

Office in-charge of Nadra’s agency office, Haji Sher Zaman said that counter-check by intelligence agencies and local administration on the computerized IDs of these people proved them to be Afghans.

The cards, he said, were now lying with Nadra office in Bajaur Agency for over one month now.

An official of the political administration acknowledged the fact and said that action had been initiated against clerks, tribal elders and Maliks who had made wrong verifications.

He said that 10 Afghan refugees had also been arrested in this regard.