Verification of CNICs: Nadra signs contract with three cell phone companies

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has signed contract with cellphone companies, including Mobilink, Telenor Pakistan and Warid Tel, for verification of the computerised national identity cards (CNICs) through SMS. NADRA has initiated the facility under which people can attain the verification of CNIC through SMS. Subscribers will have the facility to verify the CNIC by sending SMS at 7000. In first phase, Mobilink, Telenor Pakistan and Warid Tel were included in the facility, while negotiations with two more companies, Ufone and Zong, are in progress.

The agreement was signed in an impressive ceremony held at NADRA headquarters, which was attended by senior officials of NADRA and mobile phone companies. Bilal Shiekh of Mobilink, Aamir Ibrahim of Telenor Pakistan and Syed Babar Ahmed of Warid Tel signed on behalf of their companies, while Chief Administrative Officer Brigadier Kamal Aziz (Retd) represented NADRA.

This unique facility is devised for the convenience of general public, which can be utilised by any person desirous to verify credentials of the person with whom they are making business deals or they can verify the CNIC submitted by their employees, household workers and maids.Nadra took this initiative due to prevailing law and order situation and to curb the menace of identity theft. Brigadier Kamal Aziz (Retd), in his address, said that verification would be done in real time communication with NADRA's National Data Warehouse, using NADRA and mobile phone companies strong network infrastructure. He said, the CNIC number, which needed to be verified, would be sent through SMS at special number "7000", and in response, NADRA would provide details associated with that CNIC such as name of the person to whom the CNIC allotted in Urdu along with his father's name and in case of a married women her husband's name, or subsequently any other content.

Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik formally opened the service of verification of CNIC through SMS on July 24. This service will enable the police and other law-enforcement agencies to verify the CNIC of any suspect at checkpoint any time, besides help common people to avoid the bids of cheating by mischievous people as they can verify the CNIC of any person on SMS.

The CNIC verification would be CNIC number (which is to be verified) on special numbers "7000" for general public and "7001" for the law-enforcement agencies. In response, NADRA will provide the details associated with that CNIC such as the name of person to whom that CNIC Number stands allotted (in Urdu) along with any other content deemed appropriate by NADRA pertaining to the CNIC at nominal charges of Rs 10+tax.