GILGIT, March 26: Thousands of applicants are facing hardship in getting their computerized national identity cards (CNICs) as the Nadra’s swift centre here has been closed for the last over two months. The applicants, gathered outside the Nadra office, told journalists that they were unable to travel, apply for passports and conduct their official business without the CNICs. They maintained that they could not travel even for emergency purposes to shift their patients for treatment in down country hospitals. Mr Niaz Shah, a student, said that he was waiting for his card and had not been able to go to Karachi for his studies. Similarly an equal number of fresh applicants were also facing problems in submitting their documents.

They said the Nadra office is situated in security zone where there was no question of disruption and they had been provided with security guards as well. Despite this they said the Nadra employees had long abandoned their duties and there was no one to hold them accountable for creating hardship to the public.

They said there was no other office of Nadra in Gilgit to process their applications.