Pakistan pushes stricter ID oversight, NADRA upgrades Pak ID for visa applications

Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will intensify its cooperation with law enforcement agencies in identifying and deporting undocumented foreign nationals.

The directive was issued during a meeting at NADRA headquarters in Islamabad, with the Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also calling for the removal of individuals who had illegally obtained Pakistani citizenship from official records.

Officials briefed Naqvi on ongoing reforms including the cancellation of millions of identity cards belonging to deceased individuals, and a 30‑day resolution window for identity‑related cases. SIM cards registered to the deceased have also been blocked, in coordination with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

Naqvi urged NADRA to continue modernizing its systems and recommended that future offices be established on government‑owned land rather than rented premises. NADRA launched Nishan Pakistan (NP) in February, which is a “unified digital platform designed to modernize and standardize identity verification services” across the country’s digital economy environment.

The interior minister’s call for stricter identity oversight comes as a NADRA official was arrested in Karachi for allegedly issuing fraudulent identity cards to Afghan nationals.

According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), two Afghan nationals were detained during a raid after being found with illegally obtained Pakistani identity documents. Investigators later alleged that NADRA employee Furqan Ahmed Khan Durrani had approved the CNICs, according to Pakistan Today. He was arrested in a follow‑up operation in Karachi.

The FIA said legal proceedings are underway under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. The case follows the government’s Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP), launched in September 2023, under which more than 1.82 million Afghan nationals have returned to Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, NADRA and the FIA uncovered a separate network involved in issuing CNICs to foreigners without authorization, identifying five NADRA employees linked to the scheme.

NADRA revamps Pak ID app with faster visa tools and facial verification

NADRA has rolled out an upgraded version of its Pak ID mobile app, adding tools to make visa applications and biometric verification faster and less cumbersome.

The update allows foreign nationals from 193 countries to apply for any Pakistani visa category in the app. Users can snap or upload a passport photo, and the system automatically pulls key details such as name and passport number, cutting out manual data entry.

NADRA has also expanded the app’s biometric capabilities. The new release introduces face verification across all visa types, part of a broader push to tighten identity assurance and reduce processing delays.

The authority is urging users to download the latest version to access the upgraded features, which are intended to streamline one of Pakistan’s most widely used digital identity services.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  immigration  |  law enforcement  |  mobile biometrics  |  NADRA  |  Pak ID  |  Pakistan