All relevant ministries have been instructed by the Ministry of Interior to stop storing citizens’ biometric data separately and to begin putting in place a single facial recognition system. The system is anticipated to be fully operational by December 31, 2025.
At the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) headquarters in Islamabad, the directive was given during a high-level meeting presided over by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Lt. Gen. Muhammad Munir Afsar, who is the chairman of NADRA, was also present at the meeting. The important security and data management issues were discussed at the meeting.
The chairman expressed concerns about the manner in which the biometric data of residents in local databases by various government agencies and service providers is handled, which leaves confidential data at the risk of theft and exploitation.
He countered this by stressing the importance of relying on NADRA’s secure and certified central database, which uses facial recognition system, especially to help people who have trouble verifying their fingerprints.
The Interior Minister made a significant policy decision by ordering that all cell SIMs issued on expired identity cards be blocked immediately. The operation will start with SIMs that are linked to CNICs that were issued in 2017 or earlier and will sooner or later be extended to all deactivated CNICs.
This will guarantee that only valid identity cards can be used for obtaining mobile services.
In order to block SIMs that are registered in the names of people who are deceased as well as those whose identification cards are expired, NADRA is joining forces with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Furthermore, Minister Naqvi laid the foundation for a 10-story NADRA Mega Center in the I-8 neighborhood of Islamabad, which is scheduled to be operational by June 2026.
By June 30, 2025, he gave his approval for NADRA services to be extended to 44 union councils and tehsils that were previously underserved nationwide, including all 31 union councils in Islamabad. He also declared the opening of regional NADRA offices in Gwadar, Sukkur, and Multan.
NADRA officials provided an in-depth briefing that included updates on public service delivery, digital transformation, and reforms. Updated registration certificates for families and children were introduced, coupled with recent changes to the National Identity Card (NIC) Rules 2002, to improve legal clarity and combat fraud.
With the use of iris scanning and facial recognition, NADRA has unveiled sophisticated biometric systems. To prevent ID fraud and biometric mismatches, coordination with PTA, FIA, SBP, SECP, and other agencies is still ongoing.
The PAK ID smartphone app, which has been downloaded more than 7 million times, now facilitates federal arms license renewals, pensioner “proof of life,” and digital ID issuance.
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