NADRA Cancels 4.2 Million CNICs Following Verification

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has completed a large-scale verification initiative to enhance the accuracy and integrity of Pakistan’s national identity system by reconciling civil registration records with the national citizen database.

Officials said that the reconciliation between the Civil Registration System and the National Citizen Database has resulted in the cancellation of approximately 4.2 million Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) belonging to individuals already recorded as deceased in civil records.

NADRA clarified that these cancellations were carried out under the provisions of the NADRA Ordinance and the National Identity Card Rules. Despite being registered as deceased, the CNICs had remained active because families had not updated the records with the authority.

The agency noted that 42 lakh CNICs were still active even though the deaths had been recorded with provincial civil registration authorities, creating inconsistencies in national demographic statistics.

Following recent awareness campaigns and facilitation measures, families of nearly 3 million deceased individuals have now approached NADRA to formally cancel the identity cards.

NADRA stressed that failing to cancel CNICs of deceased persons can distort population data. The authority also warned that in some cases, identity cards may be cancelled erroneously or due to malicious intent by relatives. Citizens whose CNICs are mistakenly cancelled are advised to contact NADRA to obtain details of the relevant Union Council record, correct the information there, and then update their details with NADRA.

In a related update, NADRA revealed that the births of around 14 million children have been registered with Union Councils but not yet recorded in its database. The authority has begun sending reminder SMS messages to parents and guardians, urging them to visit NADRA offices and obtain B-Forms (Child Registration Certificates) to ensure their children are included in the national database.