Invisible People, Visible Barriers
C
NADRA
Pakistan’s first registration office was established in 1973 to ‘perform
identification and maintain the statistical database of the citizens of Pakistan’.22
The Government of Pakistan began issuing the first NICs to Pakistani citizens at
that time. Around the year 2000, the Government of Pakistan also set up a registry
for non-nationals, issuing registration cards that indicated that they were not
citizens. The need for NICs increased as they became required for opening bank
accounts, issuing passports and paying bills, among other uses.23 Possessing these
cards has become more valuable as they have evolved to include more features
and benefits.24
Bengalis are denied national ID cards because they are considered aliens.25 In
the press, there are regularly stories of administrative officials revoking Bengalis’
NICs and issuing them with alien registration cards instead, stripping them of
citizenship and labelling them as aliens.26 Due to a lack of ID cards, these
communities have no access to healthcare, education, potable water, sanitation and
sewage disposal, among other services.27 In 2021, Prime Minister Imran Khan
launched an initiative to issue Alien Registration Cards (‘ARC’) to all foreigners
in Pakistan.28 In addition to authorising non-citizens to stay in Pakistan, this card
also provides access to private employment opportunities, bank accounts, private
educational institutions, COVID-19 vaccinations, driver’s licenses, vehicle
registration, domestic travel and mobile and utility connections, and exempts
cardholders from prosecution under the Foreigners Act 1946.29 However, the ARC
does not permit access to public health institutions. Exclusion from essential
public services is discriminatory. While non-citizens can access services in the
private sector, it is often more expensive and unaffordable for Bengali
individuals.30 Furthermore, while ARCs can prove useful to many non-citizens,
they are disadvantageous to many Bengalis as they have been and will continue to
be forced to apply for ARCs despite being eligible for NICs. When they apply or
renew their NICs, they are harassed and turned away.31 In the eyes of the state
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28
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31
Tariq Malik, ‘Technology in the Service of Development: The NADRA Story’ (Essay, Center
for Global Development, 7 November 2014) 2 <http://www.cgdev.org/publication/
ft/technology-service-development-nadra-story>, archived at <perma.cc/37H2-8LVD>.
ibid 3.
ibid 7–8.
Shah (n 9).
ibid.
Mansoor Raza, ‘Documentation and Analysis of the Current Housing Trends in Machar
Colony in Karachi, Pakistan’ (2019) 26(2) Journal of Research in Architecture and Planning
19, 23, 28.
‘Alien Registration Card Will Facilitate Inclusion in Economy: PM Imran’, Business
Recorder (online, 13 August 2021) <https://www.brecorder.com/news/40113242>, archived
at <perma.cc/VG76-CFR9>.
‘NADRA Alien Registration Card in Pakistan 2022 Benefits’, Employees Portal (Web Page,
22 November 2021) <https://employeesportal.info/alien-registration-card-pakistan-nadra>,
archived at <perma.cc/SS32-ET6L>.
‘Pakistan: Unofficial Healthcare Discrimination against Bengalis’, IRIN (online, 7 April
2020) <https://www.refworld.org/docid/4bc2ccff1e.html>, archived at <perma.cc/G3P2BXEV>.
Javed (n 8); ‘Bengalis Afraid of Losing Their Identity and Rights’, The Express Tribune
(online, 4 November 2012) <https://tribune.com.pk/story/460370/bengalis-afraid-of-losingtheir-identity-and-rights>, archived at <perma.cc/G7XX-PLAX>.
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