Millions of Pakistanis Still Without CNICs, NADRA Urges Registration
Islamabad – A recent report has raised alarm over millions of unregistered citizens in Pakistan, highlighting a major gap in civil registration. Without Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs), many people are unable to access education, employment, healthcare, banking, and even legal protections.
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has advised all eligible citizens to begin the registration process either by visiting their nearest NADRA office or through the Pak ID mobile application. Parents have also been urged to register their children on time to avoid complications in the future.
Experts warn that unregistered individuals remain invisible to the state, leaving them unable to vote, travel, or benefit from government services. “Your CNIC is proof of who you are, especially in emergencies,” a NADRA advisory stated.
In rural and remote areas, challenges such as poor infrastructure, long travel distances, lack of awareness, and poverty continue to make registration difficult. To address this, NADRA has deployed mobile registration vans and introduced online tools to help citizens get registered more easily.
Meanwhile, NADRA has temporarily closed several of its service centers in flood-affected districts of Punjab due to heavy rains. The authority said the move was necessary to ensure the safety of both staff and the public.
According to the advisory, centers in Vanike Tarar, Hafizabad, Jalalpur Bhattian, 18 Hazari (Jhang), Ahmad Nagar (Chiniot), Midh Ranjha (Sargodha), Kari Sharif (Gujrat), Kotli Loharan (Sialkot), Syedpur (Sialkot), Khidmat Markaz (Sialkot), and Depalpur (Okara) will remain closed until further notice.
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