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In a bid to prevent identity fraud and unauthorized entries in national databases, NADRA has launched a phone-based family tree verification system, enabling citizens to check and report any suspicious additions to their records. This initiative is part of broader government efforts to curb the misuse of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) and Pakistani passports.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry shared these developments during a recent session of the upper house. He revealed that over 5,000 passports issued to individuals falsely claiming Pakistani nationality were detected abroad, primarily in Saudi Arabia. These passports were surrendered voluntarily when the holders admitted they were not Pakistani citizens.
NADRA Family Tree Verification System Aims to Curb Identity Fraud
According to Chaudhry, the fraudulent acquisition of CNICs and passports was often made possible by manipulating NADRA’s family tree database. In many cases, non-nationals were inserted into family trees by NADRA staff or by families for personal gain. He stressed that NADRA’s phone-based family tree verification system now provides a direct way for citizens to identify and remove such fraudulent entries.
To clean up the national database, the Ministry of Interior conducted two major verification campaigns in 2014 and 2019. These efforts were further supported by the creation of a dual verification process involving district-level committees led by Deputy Commissioners and Zonal Verification Boards reviewing flagged cases.
Talal Chaudhry also clarified that NADRA’s actions were not based on provincial discrimination. “NADRA operates on a national basis, and we do not treat any region differently,” he said. He acknowledged, however, that the highest number of fake identity cases were reported in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa due to system abuse.
The effectiveness of the public facilitation system is evident, as NADRA received 71,000 complaints from individuals reporting unauthorized entries in their family trees. To ensure accountability, 266 NADRA employees were dismissed following departmental inquiries, and further criminal proceedings were initiated against others, including senior officials.
Chaudhry assured the House that any case highlighted by parliamentarians would be thoroughly re-examined and re-verified to uphold the integrity of the national identity system.
