Nadra to issue NICs to Bengalis, National Assembly body told

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) will issue National Identity Cards (NICs) to Bengalis whose parents came to Pakistan before December 16, 1947, officials of the Authority told National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior.
Khawaja Muhammad Siddique, Secretary Interior said this during a meeting of the committee here on Thursday at Parliament House. MNA Abdul Qadir Patel chaired the meeting. Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, Bushra Gohar, Tasneem Ahmad Qureshi, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Bilal Yasin and senior officials of Nadra also attended the meeting.
The committee also directed the Nadra to present, in its next meeting, the whole record of Bengalis living in the country as well as proposed law for registration of Bengalis who were living in the country for decades. Earlier, Abdul Qadir Patel said that Nadra had deprived over two million Bengalis who were living in Karachi and Hyderabad for decades as they were unable to speak Urdu. "Most of the Bengalis living in the country are associated with fishery and poor economically."
He said Nadra also deprived hundreds of Bengalis when they applied for renewal of the NICs earlier issued by the authorities and also blocked their NICs, adding whereas Nadra used to issue NICs to Behari as they fluently speak Urdu. Mir Alam Khan, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Nadra, informed the committee that over two million Bengalis were living in Karachi and Hyderbad. Those who came to Pakistan before December 16, 1947 were eligible to get NICs according to Nadra Act. "Under the law Nadra can not issue NICs to those Bengalis who came after December 16, 1947 as well as to their children," he said.
He said that under the law, Nadra was not authorised to declare any one alien and could not decide about the nationality. However, he said that in case of any doubt, the documents of the concerned applicant were being sent to security agencies including IB, Special Branch and ISI for verification. Similarly, Nadra also blocked the NIC of those who were considered suspicious by the security agencies.
He also denied that Nadra declared anyone alien on the basis of language and caste. On this Khawaja Saad Rafique said the committee needs to write a letter to all concerned security agencies and direct them to explain how they declare anyone alien or suspicious.
Bushra Gohar said Nadra needed to issue NIC to those Bengalis who possessed necessary documents. "It is our responsibility to make arrangement for registration of Bengalis who are living in the country for decades."
She questioned that how Nadra treated a number of Uzbek, Chechens and Arabs living in the country illegally and how whole family of Osama bin Laden came to Abbottabad. Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk said, "Granting citizenship to an alien is a sensitive matter therefore we need to deal it seriously. Before granting citizenship to anyone there is a dire need to assess and determine his identity. Aliens have no right to get citizenship of Pakistan."