LAHORE:
Long after families have fulfilled the last rites of their deceased loved ones, many remain alive in Nadra’s official records thanks to the delays in the cancellation of their national identity cards, which create unnecessary inconveniences for surviving relatives.
One of those citizens was Majid Hussain, who faced difficulties to sell the property of his late father. “When I tried to sell the stores recorded under the name of my father, a person said that the stores were mortgaged by a loan of RS5 million. He even presented counterfeit documents. Despite a case presented in the court, the problem remains unsolved since my father’s identification card was not canceled in Nadra’s records,” said Hussain.
Similarly, Nabeela Kausar faced problems to update her last name in her CNIC since her father’s death was not registered in Nadra. “I visited Nadra’s office to replace my father’s name with my husband’s name, but they asked me to provide the original CNICs of my parents. When I informed them about the death of my parents, the officials told me to cancel their CNIC before updating my record,” Kausar said.
According to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), despite the registration of more than 100 million deaths in the Provincial Registry and Management Management System, the identity cards of these people have not been canceled in Nadra’s records, instigating a host of legal and administrative problems for the relatives of the Kin of the Geathed.
On the contrary, the lack of cancellation of the CNIC of deceased people has also led to irregularities in several well -being programs. In the Ramadan Nigahban program of the Punjab Government, hundreds of checks were issued worth RS10,000 in the name of the people who had died, depriving many families of receiving help.
Legal experts believe that the lack of cancellation of the identity card of a deceased person can create a lot of problems for their heirs. While this can prevent many legal heirs from obtaining properties, it can also allow forgery, allowing unauthorized people to confiscate properties or withdraw money from bank accounts.
In addition, if the identity card of a government employee, his pension and other benefits can be obtained illegally. In addition, there is a risk of electoral irregularities due to the inclusion of people killed in the voter list in the registrations of the Electoral Commission.
Senior Altamash Saeed lawyer informed this correspondent that Nadra’s records were linked to several government databases. “If the death of a person is not registered, it can create complications in immigration and other legal issues. Therefore, Nadra should empower local union councils to directly update birth, death, marriage and divorce records in Nadra’s database. This would help citizens avoid unnecessary difficulties,” said Saeed.
As reported, Nadra has introduced an SMS notification system to involve citizens in the posthumous process, informing close relatives of deceased people to visit Nadra’s registration centers to cancel their identity cards. A public awareness campaign is also being carried out, using social, print and electronic media to disseminate this information.
According to the new regulations, parents, spouse, children, brothers or other nearby relatives appear in the deceased’s family registry can cancel the identification card. The required documents include the original identification card or its number, a computerized death certificate issued by the Board of the Union, the Cantonment Board or the Tehsil Municipal Office and a burial certificate.
“Canceling an identity card is free, and the cancellation certificate is issued within seven days. To avoid misuse, the original identity card is destroyed in the Nadra registration center. The authorities urge citizens to take appropriate measures to avoid possible falsifications and guarantee the accuracy of government records,” Nadra’s officials told the officials.
