Nadra may raise CNIC fee to fund new offices

Due to financial concerns, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has stated that increasing the number of offices it operates may necessitate raising identity card fees.

NADRA aims to expand its presence in underserved areas, specifically in 61 tehsils across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

During a briefing to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior, Nadra Chairman Lt Gen Munir Afsar outlined plans to establish more offices and address data security concerns.

Currently, Nadra operates 26 National Registration Centres (NRCs) and three mega NRCs in Karachi, with plans to add one NRC and four mega NRCs next year.

To strengthen data protection, Nadra monitors hundreds of employees daily. Six staff members, including a high-ranking officer, were recently dismissed over data breaches affecting 2.7 million citizens from 2019 to 2023.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also briefed the committee on human smuggling networks operating in cities like Lahore and Karachi, with investigations ongoing in coordination with international agencies.