Family Registration Certificates: Ministry recommended to conduct comprehensive review
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Thursday recommended Ministry of Interior to conduct a comprehensive review of the Family Registration Certificates (FRCs) to cleanse the national database of aliens possessing Pakistani Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and passports.
A senior official of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, which met with Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman in the chair in 2023, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had dispatched 12,096 Pakistani passports, recovered from Afghan nationals, to the Pakistan Embassy. They [aliens] used a Pakistani passport as a vehicle for going to KSA, and there they renounced Pakistani citizenship, he said.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chauddhry said KSA and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have raised concerns over the misuse of Pakistani passports.
Chairman of the committee Rehman said that a review of FRCs would curb the false addition of an alien or any person to the FRCs and issuance of fake passports.
Director General (DG) Immigration and Passport (I&P), Mustafa Jamal Kazi told the committee that out of 12,096, the data of 4,500 passports is not available in the database of I&P. All the passports have been cancelled and action has been taken against the officials of NADRA and an I&P director found responsible for issuance of passport to aliens.
He further said these aliens are not in Pakistan, and as per reports, KSA had deported them to Afghanistan. 'Action has been taken against 35 assistant directors of I&P Directorate in connection issuance of passports to aliens,' he said, adding that the majority of these passports had been issued from Gujrat, Gujranwala and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The committee also raised serious concerns over the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expressed annoyance over the absence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's chief secretary and Inspector General of Police (IGP), who were invited to brief the committee on provincial security.
Special Secretary Home Khyber Pakhtunkhwa informed the meeting that the chief secretary were attending a cabinet meeting and was therefore, unable to participate in the session.
Following the explanation, Chairman Faisal Saleem decided to postpone the agenda item, stating, 'We will defer this discussion to the next meeting.'
A senior official of the Ministry of Interior, while briefing the committee on laws/rules regarding the ban on tinted glasses in vehicles and the amount collected as a fine, said that there is no policy for granting permission for tinted glasses and currently there is a complete ban on use of tinted glasses in vehicles.
He said that the Interior Ministry had banned use of tinted glasses in 2013 and decided to formulate a new policy in this regard.
When the chairman asked if the ministry had formulated a policy with respect to the use of tinted glasses, the official replied in the negative.
The committee recommended the Interior Ministry to formulate a policy in this regard and present it before the committee.
The committee reviewed the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of Rs84823.096 million of the Ministry of Interior and its attached department for the financial year 2025-26.
Senators Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Naseema Ehsan, Saifullah Abro, Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Umer Farooq, Palwasha Khan, Jam Saifullah Khan, and Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Talal Chaudhry, and senior officials attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
K-P finance advisor accuses federal government of neglecting province's development
Listen to article Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (K-P) Finance Advisor, Muzammil Aslam, said on Saturday that the federal government is ignoring the province due to political opposition. Addressing a post-budget press conference, Aslam stated that the federal government's economic position is no longer stable, with the growth rate dropping to 2.7%. He claimed K-P was largely ignored in the federal development budget, receiving only Rs550 million, forcing the province to increase its own development spending due to lack of federal support. Aslam said the province achieved 93% of its revenue targets through its own sources. However, K-P received Rs90 billion less than its share under the National Finance Commission (NFC). He added that the provincial government spent Rs20 billion from its own treasury for tribal areas and used Rs70 billion for the merged districts without any federal support. He clarified that the province had not taken any new loans. The loans currently being received were from agreements signed previously. Any future loans, he said, would only be taken for major development projects. Comparing the budgets, Aslam noted the Centre's budget stands at Rs1 trillion, while K-P's is Rs547 billion. He said an NFC meeting had been scheduled for August on K-P's request. The K-P chief minister, he said, raised the issue of pending dues with the Centre, which had promised payments. Despite this, he said, annual funds exceeding Rs47 billion were never released by the federal government for tribal areas. Aslam acknowledged that for the first time, the Centre had allocated Rs70.4 billion for the merged tribal districts. He clarified that Rs170 billion in loans were inherited from previous governments. A Rs1.5 billion fund had been set up to manage debt repayments. He said the province is satisfied with its NFC share and sees it as the key to resolving its fiscal challenges. Salaries and pensions, he said, have been increased by 10% and 7% respectively, in line with federal adjustments. For the new fiscal year, the K-P government has included development schemes worth Rs500 billion in its Rs195 billion development budget. This year, Rs145 billion out of the allocated Rs156 billion for settled districts had already been released. For merged tribal areas, Rs41 billion was allocated, with Rs26.9 billion disbursed. He described it as the largest development budget in K-P's history. 'When we took office, the throw-forward liabilities stretched over 10 years — they've now been reduced to 5.1 years,' he concluded.
Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
PM Pakistan condemns unprovoked Israeli attack on Iran
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday strongly condemned what he described as an 'unprovoked' Israeli attack on Iran, warning that the incident could further destabilise an already volatile region. In a statement posted on X, Sharif said: 'I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, today's unprovoked attack on Iran by Israel. This grave and highly irresponsible act is deeply alarming and risks further de-stabilising an already volatile region.' He expressed sympathy for the Iranian people over reported casualties and called on the international community, including the United Nations, to act swiftly to prevent any further escalation that could threaten regional or global peace. In a separate move, the prime minister instructed authorities to ensure the safety and secure return of Pakistani pilgrims currently in Iran. A Crisis Management Cell has been established at Pakistan's Foreign Office, and the country's embassy in Iran has been placed on high alert. 'Steps must be taken to ensure the safety of the pilgrims,' Sharif said. 'All possible resources should be utilised to ensure their safe return.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
PM condemns unprovoked Israeli attack on Iran
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday strongly condemned what he described as an 'unprovoked' Israeli attack on Iran, warning that the incident could further destabilise an already volatile region. In a statement posted on X, Sharif said: 'I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, today's unprovoked attack on Iran by Israel. This grave and highly irresponsible act is deeply alarming and risks further de-stabilising an already volatile region.' He expressed sympathy for the Iranian people over reported casualties and called on the international community, including the United Nations, to act swiftly to prevent any further escalation that could threaten regional or global peace. In a separate move, the prime minister instructed authorities to ensure the safety and secure return of Pakistani pilgrims currently in Iran. A Crisis Management Cell has been established at Pakistan's Foreign Office, and the country's embassy in Iran has been placed on high alert. 'Steps must be taken to ensure the safety of the pilgrims,' Sharif said. 'All possible resources should be utilised to ensure their safe return.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
