NADRA blocks fake CNICs: 138,166 cut off in Balochistan
NADRA blocks fake CNICs nationwide when holders are found ineligible or have obtained them using fake documents, Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry told the Senate on Tuesday, revealing that 138,166 cards had been blocked in Balochistan.
Replying to a calling attention notice by Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi, the minister said NADRA blocks identity cards nationwide in such cases, and that each case was reviewed by regional-level boards.
He said the 138,166 blocked cards included 8,875 in the Makran and Rakhshan divisions, which comprise eight districts with a population of about 2.9 million. Those cards account for roughly seven per cent of the total in Balochistan.
How the review process works
The minister said the regional-level board examined objections in each case and that a blocked CNIC could be restored if the objections were resolved. Cases not settled by the board could be referred to a higher-level committee at NADRA headquarters.
He said some foreign nationals had obtained Pakistani CNICs using false documents, while others had been wrongly added to the family trees of Pakistani citizens. He stressed that cases were examined on merit, without targeting any particular nationality, tribe or region.
He invited the senator to refer any specific cases for review.
Crackdown widens: 100 NADRA employees face proceedings
Samaa TV’s account of the same Senate session added that the 138,166 blocked cards belonged to Afghan citizens who had been added to Pakistani family trees through bribery. Chaudhry said NADRA had launched criminal proceedings against 100 employees accused of taking bribes to create fake family trees.
The minister said serious complaints had been received from abroad, with countries including Oman and Saudi Arabia raising concerns about Pakistani visas. He warned that the actions of criminal elements were putting the future of 10 million law-abiding Pakistanis living abroad at risk.
“We have to send skilled workers abroad, not criminals,” he said.
He added that government measures had reduced illegal travel abroad by 64 per cent. On passport fees, he said they had been increased after several years but remained lower than those charged by other countries in the region, and that the fees were used to run the relevant institution. The passport system is separately being shifted fully to e-passports as machine-readable passports are phased out.
NADRA has previously warned citizens against fake websites targeting applicants, part of a broader push against identity-document fraud that has also seen lawmakers hit by duplicate SIM fraud draining bank accounts.
Concerns over hardship for border families
Senator Buledi, the National Party’s parliamentary leader, raised the other side of the crackdown. According to Daily Qudrat, he said the blocking of identity cards had left citizens in the border areas facing severe difficulties, with bank accounts closed and families struggling to manage daily life.
He argued that people in areas bordering Iran and Afghanistan had centuries-old family, social and trade relations across the borders, and that the blocking of CNICs had hit ordinary families hard. He demanded that the government consider a dual citizenship agreement with Oman to resolve problems faced by local citizens of Gwadar.
FAQs
How many CNICs has NADRA blocked in Balochistan?
138,166 CNICs have been blocked in Balochistan, including 8,875 in the Makran and Rakhshan divisions, according to the Minister of State for Interior.
Can a blocked CNIC be restored?
Yes. NADRA’s regional-level boards examine objections in each case, and a blocked card can be restored if the objections are resolved. Unsettled cases can go to a higher-level committee at NADRA headquarters.
Why are foreign nationals getting Pakistani CNICs?
Some obtained cards using forged documents, while others were wrongly added to the family trees of Pakistani citizens. NADRA has launched criminal proceedings against 100 employees accused of taking bribes to create fake family trees.
Source: The Express Tribune; Samaa TV
