Pakistanis who have been facing problems in getting their new computerised identity cards have asked the Pakistani Embassy in Abu Dhabi to set up mobile units for them in Al Ain.
Pakistanis in Al Ain have to go to Abu Dhabi or Dubai to apply for the National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop). It is mandatory for them to bring their family with them for the online registration process.
The embassy has been issuing non-machine readable passports with just one year's validity to Pakistanis who do not have a Nicop.
The new cards are required for the full five-year passport. The UAE Government has recently made it compulsory for people from a certain group of countries, including Pakistan, to get separate passports for their children before August 31.
The Pakistani Consulate in Dubai is only issuing machine-readable passports to community members with Nicop.
"We have been caught in a dilemma," said Pakistani Mohammad Ajmal who lives in Al Ain. He said taking his entire family to Abu Dhabi or Dubai for the ID cards was very difficult.
He said the embassy should set up a mobile unit to save people time, effort and money in getting the card.
"Sometimes the process takes longer than a day because of some error or mistake in information and the long queues," he added.
The high-tech process involves officials feeding an applicants' information and digital pictures into computers that are directly linked with Pakistan's National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) in Islamabad.
Najam Ali, another Pakistani, said the issue of separate passports for children and the approaching summer holidays had increased demand for the new ID cards.
"The majority of Pakistani children are endorsed on their mother's passports," he said.
Ali said the embassy should come forward to help community members by providing mobile units for Nicop registration in Al Ain.
"The present situation is annoying for those living hundreds of miles from Abu Dhabi and Dubai," he added.
Abdul Kareem Baqi, another Pakistani living in Al Ain, said: "The major worry for us is to get leave from our employers to get the card. In many cases this is denied," he said.
