Mohmand elders demand restoration of CNICs

PESHAWAR – Tribal leaders from Mohmand district have called on the federal government to quickly restore thousands of computerized national identity cards (CNICs) that have been blocked under Section 18 of the Nadra law. At a press conference in Peshawar on Monday, representatives of the Mohmand Loya Jirga, headed by Saleem Khan Mohmand, argued that the verification process for Mohmand residents' CNICs was unjust and discriminatory.

They explained that residents of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were required to provide records dating back to 1978, including ID cards, passports, and other documents. Most residents lacked such records, resulting in the suspension of thousands of CNICs unfairly. The elders threatened that angry Mohmand people might flee to Afghanistan.

They also demanded that the Nadra verification center for these residents be moved from Charsadda to Mohmand district headquarters in Ghalanai. Hundreds of Mohmand individuals, including women and children, were being forced to travel to Charsadda for verification, causing significant distress. The elders urged the government to restore all CNICs suspended under the 2000 Nadra Ordinance and to establish a new standard operating procedure for verifying residents of merged tribal districts.

They contended that the present CNIC verification process was causing undue hardship for Mohmand residents and called for an immediate halt to what they characterized as discriminatory treatment. The elders threatened to hold street protests if their demands were not met.