Pakistan launching national face biometrics authentication service

Pakistan will launch a facial recognition system in the new year designed to help those who cannot complete biometric authentication with their fingerprints.

The South Asian country’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will roll out a face biometrics verification service which will be available via the Pak-ID mobile app and at NADRA registration centers across the country. The initiative begins January 15 and intends to reduce delays and provide better services, especially to the elderly and others who may experience issues due to faded fingerprints.

Pak-ID rolled out last year, in part to ease ID card issuance and renewals, with a selfie biometrics feature used for registration.

Chairman of NADRA, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Munir Afsar, highlighted the importance of adopting modern technologies to assist the needs of the vulnerable during a consultative conference where regulatory bodies also discussed advancements in biometric and identity verification systems. The meeting explored the potential of iris recognition technology, for example, as a future identity verification tool. Iris biometrics were added to the national database last year using Iris ID scanners.

NADRA officials discussed the National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework and the Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP), which both aim to drive Pakistan’s digital transformation, for which the country’s robust national digital ID system acts as a crucial building block.

Earlier this week, the Pakistani government presented the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill to the National Assembly in a milestone for the country’s DPI efforts. The Act’s seminal proposal is the construction of a national digital identity system. Pakistan’s ambitions have received significant funding via a $78 million World Bank project, the aforementioned DEEP.

Several weeks ago, NADRA signed two Memorandums of Understanding around advancing digital transformation: one on the effective use of data, the second on a digital payments gateway to ease digital payments in the country and strengthen the national DPI ecosystem. A digital payment facility is one of the three core components of DPI.

In November, NADRA officials welcomed a World Bank delegation that came to gather information on Pakistan’s digital transformation advancements, focusing on DEEP and overall progress on implementation. Prior to that, a Ugandan government delegation arrived in Karachi to learn about NADRA’s work and to collaborate, with the African country wanting to share in the authority’s knowledge as it seeks to roll out national biometric enrollment for a new generation ID card.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  facial verification  |  identity verification  |  NADRA  |  Pakistan