NADRA celebrates 25 years of legal identity strides with digital ID card launch

The National Database and Registration Authority of Pakistan (NADRA) is this month celebrating 25 years of efforts to streamline legal identity management and make every Pakistani count.

Perhaps, the icing on the cake of this jubilee anniversary celebration is the launch of a dematerialized ID card which shall be included in the Pak ID mobile application. A trial for the card has been announced to begin on August 14.

This dematerialized card is a fully functional digital ID which removes the need for users to carry physical cards around for transactions.

In a press release, NADRA said on the occasion of the silver jubilee which reflects its milestone in legal identity management and database integration to facilitate access to public and private sector services, it received messages of congratulations from the President and Prime Minister for its “remarkable achievements.”

The ID authority noted that President Asif Ali Zardari, urged it to continue to play its critical role in “providing a legal and unique identity to citizens, reinforcing the social contract between the state and its people while transforming public service delivery.”

He also urged the body to accelerate its efforts of deploying emerging technologies to improve efficiency and uphold the highest standards of integrity, accessibility, and citizen satisfaction.

Other speakers including the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and the Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, also appreciated NADRA for its many years of work that has positively impacted the lives of citizens.

With the launch of the dematerialized card, NADRA says it is also looking forward to the rollout of a digital verification system to facilitate authentication for various services under the World Bank-funded Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP).

Also speaking during the anniversary event was NADRA’s pioneer chairman, Major General Zahid Ehsan (Rtd), who took attendees down memory lane, recalling the early days of the initiative, haling the success so far recorded and noting the recognizing the enormity of the task that lies ahead.

Ehsan expressed the wisht to see the ID authority continue to set new milestones in its development, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and excellence.

NADRA was born out of an inspiration linked to the conduct of the country’s 6^th population census in 1997.

It is recounted that when the census was to be conducted, the man who was given the responsibility to lead the activity, Zahid Ehsan, decided to go a step further by thinking of also building a system that will not only count individuals but also issue them documents that can enable them legally identify themselves in a sustainable identity system. That is how the story of NADRA began, the authority recalls.

As part of NADRA’s push for legal identity, it has been urging citizens to respect mandatory requirements for death registration of their relatives.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  legal identity  |  NADRA  |  Pak ID  |  Pakistan