FIA to act against fake CNIC holders

Islamabad
The government intends not only to identify the location of those 25,000 persons who either illegally acquired Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) or provided dubious information. Their cases might be sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for action, the sources told The News here on Wednesday.
The official data shows that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) had blocked/cancelled some 25,000 CNICs on the report of Joint Verification Committees (JVCs) set up in each province comprising officials from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB).
The JVCs were constituted in April this year on the directives of the interior ministry that had received reports from the intelligence agencies that foreign elements might be using CNICs to plan and carry out terror activities.
An official confided to this correspondent that the cases of confirmed ‘aliens’ or ‘migrants’ would be referred to FIA for prosecution as per law of the land because these people have cheated the Pakistani authorities in order to obtain CNICs.
They said the JVCs have already scrutinised 25,000 CNICs that were placed in ‘suspect’ category and are currently verifying another 76,000 doubtful CNICs so that no alien or illegal migrant could enjoy undue privileges by obtaining Pakistan’s identity card through fake documentation.
The sources said 5,706 cases have so far been discovered in which aliens had succeeded in obtaining CNICs and most of them belonged to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Mayanmar, while some 10 CNIC holders were Indian nationals.
It is pertinent to mention here that CNICs were also issued to famed Afghan woman Sharbat Gula and her two sons and the officials involved in this illegal action were suspended by Nadra.
A Nadra spokesman confirmed to The News that cases against those 25,000 persons who provided wrong information to obtain CNICs would be referred to FIA for action in line with the relevant laws.
“I want to make it clear that only 12,000 out of total 25,000 blocked persons who provided fake information succeeded in obtaining CNICs and names of remaining 13,000 were blocked during the process,” he said.
To a question, he said JVCs are reviewing even minute details of CNICs that fall in ‘suspect’ or ‘alien’ category and they hope that verification of these CNICs would be completed in the shortest possible time.