NADRA chief tells NA body 46 percent of thumb prints taken on paper not readable

Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Thursday said that 46 percent of the thumb prints taken on paper are not readable while 99.9 percent of the electronic finger prints are readable. "The finger prints during the election were taken on paper, due to which they were unable to verify and NADRA would also face same difficulties in verification of thumb impressions if they were taken on paper in future," NADRA chairman Usman Mobeen said while speaking at the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control which met with MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk in the chair.
NADRA chairman further told the meeting that the total number of registered Afghan refugees is 1.5 million and as many as 1.5 million unregistered Afghans are living in the country, who make efforts to get Pakistani CNIC through illegal means. "The government has decided to register unregistered Afghan refugees presently residing in the country," he said.
Mobeen further said that NADRA is issuing lifetime CNIC to disabled while extending the duration of the NICOP from seven years to 10 years. NADRA has vigilance directorate which keeps eye on NADRA operations to report corrupt or illegal practices by NADRA employees working across Pakistan, he said.
He said that vigilance directorate has deputed specialized intelligence officers to check illegal processing taking place at registration center of NADRA. Besides this regional head offices and other intelligence agencies of the government also report involvement of NADRA employees in illegal processing of CNICs. NADRA take disciplinarily action against employees involved in corruption under government servant rules 1973. During the last five years, disciplinary action was taken against 372 NADRA employees who were found involved in preparation of illegal CNICs, he said.
Mobeen said that NADRA has issued 101.5 million CNICs of which 54.4 million are male, 44.1 million femal, 8.3 million NICOP and 131213 are POCs. NADRA has issued 4,212,115 smart identity cards to locals and 724,419 smart identity cards to overseas Pakistanis, he said.
The additional secretary Ministry of Interior informed the committee that similar bill like criminal law amendment bill, 2014 amendment of section 55, Act XLV of 1860 moved by Shaista Perveiz Malik MNA is already under discussion of the standing committee on law, justice and human rights and he proposed to club the bill with the said bill. He further said that a summary in this regard is under consideration by the ministry of interior for approval of the Prime Minister under rules 28 of rules of business 1973. The committee unanimously agreed and urged Ministry of Interior to finalize the bill on priority basis.
The meeting was attended by Syed Javed Ali Khan, Ghalib Khan, Syed Iftikhar ul Hassan, Main Shahid Hussain Khan, Makhdoom Syed Ali Hassan Gillani, Nauman Islam, Ehsan-ur-Rehman, Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur, Naeem Kishwer Khan, Dr Arif Ali , Syed Asif Husnain, Sher Akber Khan, Mir Dostain Domki, Dr Amir Ullah Marwart, Malik Abdul Ghaffar Dogar, Shaista Pervaiz Malik and senior official of Ministry Interior and NADRA.