ISLAMABAD:
The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Thursday warned citizens of additional fees and fines for those who delay in obtaining or renewing their identity documents.
In a press release, the authority said that identity documents were issued for a specific period of time and it was the responsibility of every adult citizen to ensure timely renewal of their identity documents, especially CNICs, before their expiry.
“If this is not successful, essential services linked to these documents, including bank accounts, mobile phone SIMs and other verification-based services may be adversely affected or suspended,” it said.
“Furthermore, citizens whose identity cards have expired may not be able to avail of various government and welfare programmes, such as the Benazir Income Support Programme, government subsidy schemes, including the recently announced fuel subsidy scheme, as well as transactions such as property and vehicle transfers,” it added.
“This results in unnecessary hardship to citizens due to their own oversight. Though Nadra is legally empowered to impose additional charges or penalties for late renewal, such measures have not yet been implemented for public convenience,” the authority said.
It said that according to available data, at present, 27.475 million national identity cards, 2.309 million overseas cards, 11.65 million child registration certificates and 0.229 million youth cards had expired.
“In this regard, reminder messages have already been sent to citizens via SMS by Nadra, including specifically those parents whose children have turned 18 but have not yet received their first national identity card,” it said.
The authority recalled that as per the public advisory issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on April 8, it was mandatory for mobile phone users to have a valid and active CNIC to ensure continuity of services.
“SIMs registered against ID cards that have expired or are in the name of deceased persons can be blocked at any time. Currently, over 8.1 million SIMs are active against approximately 4.5 million ID cards that require renewal. Of these, more than 223,000 identity cards have expired for over ten years without renewal,” it says.
Nadra has advised citizens to ensure timely renewal of their identity cards to maintain uninterrupted mobile services. It also said that SIM cards registered in the names of deceased relatives should be transferred to the current user’s CNIC.
“All citizens have been asked to fulfill their legal responsibilities by promptly renewing expired identity documents and ensuring the issuance of identity cards for persons who have attained the age of 18,” it said.
“If no improvement is observed in document renewal trends, in the next fiscal year after June, additional fees and fines may be imposed on those citizens who delay in obtaining or renewing their identity documents,” it said.
