PESHAWAR, July 29: The National Database and Registration Authority has asked public representatives and government officers to verify the identity of people applying for identity cards.

This was said by NWFP Nadra general manager Mohammad Safdar at a meeting with the authority’s officials on Tuesday.

He said that after the launching of the free identity card scheme, rush on the offices had increased. However, he asked officials concerned to be polite with people so they could get the cards.

He also asked the officials to strictly verify the attestations by public representatives as well by government officers with a view to control fake identity cards.

He said they had detected thousands of cases where public representatives or government officers had attested application forms of foreigners for issuance of cards. He said cases against the applicants and their attesters had been sent to the police. He said the database of those found guilty of fake attestation would be blocked, which would render their identity cards ineffective.

Mr Safdar said special focus was being laid on Afghan refugees, who were in the habit of getting Pakistani identity cards. Any official found guilty of issuing identity cards to Afghan refugees and other foreign nationals would be awarded strict punishment, including termination of their services, he said.— Bureau Report