Over the past three years, Pakistani authorities have blocked nearly 195,000 computerized national identity cards, highlighting ongoing issues in the country’s citizen database. The Ministry of Interior shared the figures with the Senate, showing that most cases occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded the highest number of blocked CNICs, with 72,703 cases, while Sindh followed with 49,666. Punjab reported 29,852 blocked identity cards, and Balochistan accounted for 34,990. In the federal capital, Islamabad, authorities blocked 5,731 CNICs. Meanwhile, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan saw 1,410 and 758 CNICs blocked, respectively.
The Interior Ministry revealed that 130,885 CNICs were blocked under Section 18, while 64,225 were blocked following court orders. During the same period, more than 46,000 blocked CNICs were restored after investigations.
Officials noted that over 148,000 CNICs remain blocked as inquiries continue. According to NADRA, most of these cases involve incorrect information or unresolved legal matters, which triggered the blocking.