Whether a person born after 1967 in Rawalpindi, and whose birth was not registered, could obtain a National Identity Card, access to education, a university degree, a passport, etc. [PAK39786.E]

Information on the issuing and use of National Identity Cards and birth certificates in Pakistan can be found in PAK36574.E ("Circumstances under which a birth certificate is required") and PAK36261.E ("Information on National Identity Cards, NIC"), both of 15 May 2001, PAK36878.E of 27 April 2001 and PAK13119 of 10 February 1993, among others. Information specific to NIC issuing in Rawalpindi can be found in PAK29017.E of 27 March 1998. Information on requirements for the issuing of passports can be found in PAK19170.E of 16 December 1994.

The above-cited Responses and attached documents indicate that NICs are a compulsory requirement for adult Pakistani citizens and constitute the main identity document in Pakistan, and also state the NIC can be required for a number of things that require proof of identity, such as obtaining a passport. However, the cited Responses refer to NIC application forms requiring attestation or signing by certain prescribed persons and authorities; no reference to birth certificates being the only document or means of identification to obtain a NIC could be found among the sources consulted. Please note that one of the documents attached to this Response, a report on birth registration in Pakistan, indicates that "overall Pakistan shows 30 per cent urban and 20 per cent rural [birth] registration, with the average rate of birth registration at national level being 29.5 per cent" (Dawn 17 May 2000).

Please note that a new NIC has been implemented in Pakistan since 2001. One of the attached articles explains the process to obtain the new card, referring to the possible checking by authorities of "original birth certificates, Nika Nama, certificates of educational achievements" and "such documents that may be necessary to establish the veracity of claims [of Pakistani citizenship]," and adding that "all documents [included to support a NIC application] should be properly attested by a person duly authorised to attest documents" (Business Recorder 8 Sept. 2001).

Another attachment refers to the illegal supply of Pakistani identity cards to persons from Afghanistan, indicating that the Pakistani document has been "used by Afghans for obtaining Pakistani passports on which they travelled to foreign countries" (Dawn 13 Aug. 2001). The article reports on the arrest of a person who had been supplying blank Pakistani identity cards to Afghanistan "for the last four years," and states that "the lucrative business [of corrupt officials who sell Pakistani identity cards] has been continuing unabated since the Afghan refugees settled in Pakistan two decades ago" (ibid.). The report adds a reference to reports of "distribution of ID card forms among the refugees, which were duly attested by gazetted officers and other authorized people" (ibid.). This and another attached report refer to specific prices paid by foreigners in Pakistan to obtain a National Identity Card (ibid. 1 June 2001).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References


Business Recorder [Karachi]. 8 September 2001. Wirasat Hussnain. "Identity Card Forms: More Sale, Collection Points to be Set Up in Karachi." (NEXIS)

Dawn [Karachi]. 13 August 2001. "Kohat Police Arrest Gang Leader: Supply of ID Cards to Afghanistan." http://dawn.com [Accessed 14 Aug. 2001]

_____. 1 June 2001. Ahmed Hassan. "Afghans Using Pakistan Passports For Jobs Abroad." http://dawn.com [Accessed 1 June 2001]

_____. 17 May 2000. "Report on Birth Registration Launched." http://dawn.com [Accessed 23 May 2000]

Attachments


Business Recorder [Karachi]. 8 September 2001. Wirasat Hussnain. "Identity Card Forms: More Sale, Collection Points to be Set Up in Karachi." (NEXIS)

Dawn [Karachi]. 13 August 2001. "Kohat Police Arrest Gang Leader: Supply of ID Cards to Afghanistan." http://dawn.com [Accessed 14 Aug. 2001]

_____. 1 June 2001. Ahmed Hassan. "Afghans Using Pakistan Passports For Jobs Abroad." http://dawn.com [Accessed 1 June 2001]

_____. 17 May 2000. "Report on Birth Registration Launched." http://dawn.com [Accessed 23 May 2000]