No Compromise Acceptable on Blocked CNICs of Afghan and Hazara Refugees in Balochistan: National Party

QUETTA: The Balochistan provincial spokesperson of the National Party has welcomed the blocking of identity cards allegedly issued to Afghan and Hazara refugees who arrived in Pakistan after 1979, calling for the cards to remain blocked and eventually be cancelled.

In a statement, the spokesperson claimed that a large influx of refugees entered Balochistan after 1979 and alleged that millions of fake manual Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) were subsequently issued to Afghan, Hazara and Uzbek refugees.

The spokesperson said that after the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) introduced a computerised system, irregularly issued identity cards were identified and subsequently blocked by NADRA and the Interior Ministry.

The National Party alleged that political pressure had repeatedly been exerted on NADRA to unblock these identity cards.

The party condemned what it described as political interference in the matter and said that no pressure should be accepted regarding the unblocking of the cards.

The provincial spokesperson called on the federal Interior Ministry and NADRA to cancel all identity cards identified as having been issued unlawfully.

The National Party maintained that, as a responsible national, political and democratic party, it would oppose any political pressure aimed at reversing the action against allegedly illegal identity cards.