Islamabad: The Pakistan government will soon begin issuing smartcards for Afghan refugees whose proof of registration (PoR) cards expired earlier.
The new smartcards will provide Afghan refugees renewed proof of identity, enhance their safety in Pakistan, and will help facilitate identity authentication making access to different services faster, safer and more effective.
The Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CCAR) at the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), with the support of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, will begin the document renewal and verification process for the issuance of smartcards from April 1, 2021.
During this six-month exercise, NADRA will verify and update the data of registered Afghan refugees who possess a PoR card with an expiry date of December 31, 2015. “The initiative takes place within the framework of the support platform for the solutions strategy for Afghan refugees, fostering renewed partnerships and stronger strategic linkages between humanitarian and development investments,” the official statement said.
Document renewal centres
Almost 40 Document Renewal and Information Verification Exercise (DRIVE) centres would be set up across Pakistan for the authentication and identification process. In addition to validating the existing data, the verification will also record the skill sets, level of education, socio-economic circumstances and sources of income of the Afghan refugees. After the verification of the data, the Afghan refugees will receive new PoR smartcards. Pakistan’s national database spokesperson said that the multi-biometric smartcards will be issued to the refugees following the completion of the challenging process.
“This is a long-overdue exercise. It’s been 10 years since the last such initiative. It’s crucial at this juncture to update the data of Afghan refugees” said Saleem Khan, the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees in Pakistan. He also commended the support of the international community in the verification process.
Noriko Yoshi, UNHCR representative in Pakistan, appreciated the Pakistan government for assuming the initiative that would help improve the lives of Afghan refugees in the country. The new identification cards would allow better health, education and livelihood support for refugees in Pakistan and in the priority areas of return and reintegration in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is home to an estimated three million Afghans, 1.4 million of whom are documented, making Pakistan one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world.
