Karachi deserves NADRA Mega Centre in every town: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman

Karachi deserves NADRA Mega Centre in every town: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman

Calls for identity cards, census, voter rolls to be managed under single authority for greater transparency

KARACHI, July 15: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Emir Engineer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Wednesday called for the establishment of a NADRA Mega Centre in every town of Karachi, arguing that the city’s population of more than 35 million warranted a significant expansion of citizen registration services.
Speaking to the media after inaugurating a renovated digital NADRA Registration Centre in Shah Faisal Colony No. 2, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the city’s residents should have access to timely and dignified services without facing long delays.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also proposed that the issuance of national identity cards, the national census and electoral rolls should all be administered by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), instead of being handled by separate institutions. He argued that bringing these functions under a single authority would enhance transparency and reduce the possibility of irregularities.
The JI chief maintained that Karachi had been undercounted in successive population censuses, asserting that available data on electricity, gas and other utility consumption showed that the city’s population could not be less than 35 million. He urged the authorities to recognise Karachi’s actual population and ensure a fair distribution of resources accordingly.
Welcoming the renovation of the Shah Faisal Colony registration centre, the JI supreme leader said the upgraded facility was a positive step but stressed that an evening shift should also be introduced to facilitate working people. He added that further improvements were needed at NADRA’s existing mega centres.
Recalling the situation several years ago, he said citizens had previously faced severe difficulties at NADRA offices, including blocked identity cards and long queues. He credited Jamaat-i-Islami’s sustained efforts with helping resolve the problems of thousands of applicants and pledged the party’s continued cooperation with NADRA on issues of public interest.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also said that legal and humanitarian issues facing migrants who had settled in Pakistan, including Bengalis who had arrived after 1970 and continued to reside in the country, should be addressed in accordance with the law.
Referring to an apparent error in NADRA records, he cited the case of a party worker whose family record showed 12 children instead of eight, saying such discrepancies highlighted the need for greater accuracy in official records.
Addressing the ceremony, NADRA Karachi Director General Amir Ali Khan said the Shah Faisal Colony registration centre had been upgraded from three to six service counters, increasing its daily capacity to between 250 and 300 applicants. He said the facility would serve residents of Shah Faisal Colony, Drigh Road, Model Colony, Rifah-i-Aam Society and surrounding neighbourhoods.
He added that NADRA had recruited 600 employees over the past three months, reducing the average processing time for registration and related services to seven to eight minutes per applicant.
He said a 24-hour NADRA Mega Centre had already been established in Surjani Town, while similar facilities would be opened in Korangi and Landhi in the next phase to improve access to registration services across the city.