ISLAMABAD, June 1: Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters (POEPA) Association will boycott Nadra’s new scheme called National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP).

The association central chairman, Raja Mohammad Daud Junjua, announced the decision at a press conference held on Saturday.

Under the new scheme, NICOP is a mandatory requirement for all Pakistani workers, citizens and residents living abroad, and for those holding dual nationality.

All members of a family, including children, have to obtain the card by paying the fee of $25 each. The card will be valid for three years.

Mr Janjua said, originally, the scheme was meant for the Pakistanis settled in the United States or European countries. Its objective was to offer them dual nationality so they would not face any difficulty after coming to their mother land and while starting some business.

However, when the Pakistanis settled in the US and Europe did not evince any interest in NICOP, the Nadra officials decided to make it compulsory for every Pakistani intending to go abroad, irrespective of the fact whether he/she was a holder of dual nationality or not, he added.

The scheme, Mr Janjua said, was unjustified for the Pakistanis planning to go to Middle East for jobs, since none of the countries in the region offered nationality, no matter how long one had lived there.

He alleged that the scheme aimed at extorting money from the poor people, who wanted to work in Middles East so that they could support their families.

Nadra, he said, was charging Rs60 as the national identity card fee, but in the case of NICOP, the fee was $25 (Rs15,00), which was unjustified.

The facilities tagged with NICOP, such as the new computerized ID card in Urdu, visa free entry, entitlement to membership of Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and protection provided by the Pakistan government to the card holders in foreign countries, are not required during one’s stay abroad, Mr Janjua said.