Terming overwhelming response of the citizens in the ongoing CNIC re-verification drive as encouraging, the Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that active participation from the citizens highlights importance of this national security drive and also promises its success.
The minister was informed on Monday by NADRA that even before the start Nadra's SMS service to the citizens, over 400,000 citizens have checked their family tree (family record) through sending SMS on their own. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has received over 13,000 complaints, where citizens have pointed out aliens in their family trees (Family record), since the inception of CNIC re-verification drive launched on July 1. Out of these, one third are confirmed aliens, the minister was informed by NADRA.
Similarly, the response towards Aliens Reporting Helpline of NADRA has also been encouraging. It was informed that on the basis of information received so far on the Helpline, more than 50 cases have been referred to NADRA Vigilance Cell for re-verification and further scrutiny.
The Interior Minister was chairing a meeting to review Nadra's ongoing national CNIC re-verification drive. A six-month CNIC re-verification is continuing across Pakistan, a national security initiative, launched on the directions of the Interior Minister to cleanse Nadra's database from aliens holding Pakistani CNIC and passports.
The meeting was attended by the secretary interior, special secretary interior, chairman Nadra and senior ranking officials of the interior ministry. Citizens can text their CNICs by sending an SMS on 8008, and in response Nadra sends a complete family tree of the individual from where he can verify his/her family member's record.
Nadra has been specifically ordered by the Interior Minister to make the CNIC re-verification drive simple and smooth for the citizens, so to make it a successful result oriented drive for achieving the target of removing aliens from Nadra's database.
Nadra is running a multi-pronged strategy which includes, Data analysis schemes for verification including across the board fraud detection and mathematical modelling, utilisation of PTA's data for identification of aliens who have managed to get Pak identity in past, amnesty scheme, establishment of helpline and family tree intrusion detection through SMS.
The Interior Minister also appreciated the role that media is playing in the CNIC drive, adding that greater awareness of masses through media would positively pay back to make the campaign a success. The minister reiterated his call that CNIC re-verification drive is a national security drive aimed at cleansing Nadra's database from all aliens who had managed to get themselves registered as Pakistanis using various means.
The minister said the re-verification of CNIC across Pakistan was no doubt a difficult task but it was vital to ensuring the security of the state. He said that the drive would create win-win situation for the state and therefore nothing can hinder us completing our task within the stipulated period.
Over Nadra's call centre, which has already started operating in Nadra for receiving complaints from the citizens over alien's identification, the Interior Minister pointed out: "Secrecy of the callers should remain paramount in the drive since citizens would be disposing their national duty by providing information to the state institutions over aliens holding Pakistani CNICs and passports.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan approved nationalisation of three Cessna planes and their inclusion to the Ministry of Interior's Air Wing strength for counter terrorism, and anti-narcotics operational duties. These Cessna planes were previously funded for operational duties for Law Enforcement Agencies through the US government. The Minister pointed out that the changing security paradigms demand further strengthening of the Air Wing of Ministry and therefore directed the Air Wing to put up proposals for strengthening of its helicopter fleet post December 2017- once the US funding for existing fleet would ends.
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