Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that old National Identity Cards (NICs) would no more be valid. However, the National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra) would continue issuance of new Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).
According to an official spokesman of the ministry, old NICs would stay invalid and made CNICs compulsory for all basic facilities like electricity, telephone connection, bank account and passport.
On the directives of the government, Nadra has made arrangements to entertain all the applicants as it has the capacity to print 100,000 cards per day.
However, the spokesman said that after the invalidation of old NICs, Nadra will continue its function and the perception that it would not prepare CNICs after expiry of cut off date is wrong.
Nadra will neither charge any extra money nor levy any penalty on late entrants.
Nadra has announced through print and electronic media that people who have not applied for the CNIC are requested to submit their applications through NSRC, DRO, SDRO offices.
It is pertinent to mention here that the government in December 2003 announced extension in the cut off date of old NICs to January 30, 2004 from December 31, 2003.
Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat had announced the decision to this effect in Senate.
When contacted, an official of Nadra told this scribe that so far Nadra has issued 33 million cards and has the capability to issue the same number of cards in 2004.
He said that Nadra has the apparatus to issue about 30 million new cards during this year.
He said that the full capacity of the organisation has not been so far exploited, as the number of new applicants is less.
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