LAHORE, April 1: National Identity Card seekers will have to collect their cards from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) offices, as the authority has cancelled its agreement with the Pakistan Postal Service for delivery of the cards.

Lahore Nadra director Col Talaha said the deal had been cancelled because the Postal Service failed to ensure timely delivery of cards.

At least 100,000 cards had piled up in post offices during the last few days, he said, adding there were also reports that some postal employees were illegally charging people for the service. “We do not want to be held responsible for lapses of others.”

Now, the applicants would get NICs through swift registration centres, he said.

The centres would phone the applicants 10 to 15 days after registration to ask them to collect their cards, he said.

NICs used to be delivered through registration offices before the establishment of Nadra.

Answering a question, Col Talaha said no inconvenience would be caused to applicants, who were already required to submit their phone numbers while booking their cards.

The applicants who had not submitted phone numbers would be informed by mail, he said.

He replied in the negative when asked if Nadra authorities would contact some private courier service for the delivery of NICs.

Meanwhile, the Nadra authorities are introducing three mobile swift registration centres to facilitate NIC seekers in rural areas. Two of these centres are likely to start functioning within the next couple of days.

The authorities are also looking for suitable buildings in Township, Gulshan-i-Ravi and Ravi Road areas for the establishment of swift centres.