7.4m senior citizens exempted from renewal of CNICs: NADRA

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has so far exempted 7.4 million senior citizens from renewal of computerised national identity cards (CNICs), as they have either reached the age of 65 have been issued cards valid for lifetime, NADRA Deputy Chairman Tariq Malik said in a statement issued on Friday.

He said, if an applicant gets his or her CNIC renewed after the age of 56, his or her CNIC is declared valid for lifetime, which would be mentioned on the respective CNIC and he or she would not have to renew it again. So far NADRA has issued 22,000 CNICs printed with lifetime validity for senior citizens. Malik added that 3.28 million women and 4.11 million male senior citizens have been exempted from the renewal of CNICs. Moreover, he clarified that people who are 65-years-old or more do not need to visit NADRA centres to obtain a ‘lifetime valid’ CNIC, even if the expiry date mentioned on their card has already passed. Malik urged the people who were less than 65-years-old to get their CNICs renewed immediately to avoid any legal or financial issue where a valid CNIC is compulsory.

The deputy chairman said that the demographic data of citizens is vital for analysis and planning for the overall improvement of the country, which needs to be updated so that various development projects can be efficiently designed and executed. He said that the policy of expiry of the CNICs after a specific period ensures that the data of each individual is regularly updated. The renewal of ID cards protects citizens and updating their data protects them against identity theft. The renewal of CNICs also facilitates storing of the applicants’ data as per the new technology and procedures, Malik added