LONDON, July 24: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat the other day urged expatriates to get the national identity cards for overseas Pakistanis.

He was speaking after opening a swift registration centre at Pakistan's consulate in Birmingham.

The first swift centre in the United Kingdom was inaugurated by him at the high commission here on July 19.

He said the card was a part of the security apparatus being put in place to ensure registration of all Pakistanis and prepare a database.

It would also help check foreign extremist elements using fake Pakistani identity, he said.

He said the government would not allow any part of the country to be a 'no-go area' and it was determined to establish the writ of the state.

Referring to the Wana operation, he said every effort was made to minimize collateral damage and that was the reason for many casualties suffered by the security forces. He said no one would be allowed to use the country's soil for terrorism.

The minister urged overseas Pakistanis to play an active role in removing misperceptions about the country.

The expatriates in Britain can get a national identity card for overseas Pakistanis for 10 years by paying 10 pounds.

British MP Khalid Mehmood, Birmingham Deputy Lord Mayor Khawaja Mehmood Hussain, Pakistan's Consul-General Shujat Rathore, National Database and Registration Authority Chairman Saleem Moien, Nadra Operations Director Babar Mirza and community leaders were present on the occasion.-APP