Pakistan has cancelled about 200,000 fake computerized national identity cards (CNICs) fraudulently held by Afghan refugees in the country.
Talking to reporters at the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) office at Rehmanabad, Rawalpindi, he said these cards were issued to Afghan nationals based on bogus documents, including fake birth certificates.
He said that the data of 1.5 million Afghan refugees were with Pakistan and about 800,000 Afghan refugees were living in the country illegally.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, “We have data of 1.5 million Afghan refugees having legal status and about 800,000 Afghans living in the country illegally.”
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He said corruption in the issuance of visas was being tackled and the government was providing online visa facilities to citizens of 192 countries.
“To eliminate the chances of corruption, we have launched online visa service as there are chances of corruption in manual processing of visas,” he said, adding that over 200,000 visa applications were received for online visas in a single day.
He said that 300 vans of Nadra would visit different areas across the country to facilitate the masses. 50 Nadra offices would remain open round the clock, however, after a few weeks, those will be closed where no one will arrive at night.
Meanwhile, Rashid said persons targeting the armed forces were doing so at the behest of foreign countries and action would be taken “within 72 hours” against those making “anti-army” remarks.
“We would defeat such disinformation against our country and state institutions,” he said.
He also said five police officials involved in the killing of a 22-year-old student this week in Islamabad were arrested. The killing shocked the people as the youth was targeted when he failed to stop the car when signaled by the police.
