Claim: A message that appears to be a NADRA alert claims that the authority has announced a new set of policies to streamline the process of obtaining an ID card. It lists down seven points detailing said policies.
Fact: The message is not an official NADRA alert. However, some of the seven points are true. Two of these points are inaccurate and the other five are true. The point that saysa birth certificate is not needed for obtaining a B-form and ID card is false. It claims that a passport, domicile or matriculation certificate can be used as an alternative. The second inaccurate point claims that it is no longer necessary for a married woman to provide a nikkah nama (marriage certificate) in order to obtain an ID card.
Fact or Fiction?
On 11 October 2022, a message about a NADRA alert started doing rounds on social media. The message, when translated to English, states:
نادرہ الرٹ – NADRA Alert
[NADRA officials have announced a new policy for creating a new ID card. Now you can create your ID card very easily. Now you don’t have to go through different cycles.
- Matriculation certificate, passport, domicile and identity card of parents are required.
- The birth certificate condition for a new identity card or Form B is over. Matric certificate, card will be made on passport or domicile.
- Announcement in the newspaper condition for name change has ended.
- The marriage certificate condition for identification of women has ended; only the husband’s ID card and statement on Rs.20 stamp paper are required.
- In case of card loss, there is no need to file an FIR; only a statement of loss on stamp paper is required.
- In case of card loss, FIR is not required; a new card will be printed by giving a stamp paper affidavit of loss.
- People of former FATA Pakhtunkhwa can get a card made in any city of Pakistan: Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore.
No such alert has been issued on NADRA’s website or official social media pages. The NADRA website contains a document dated 6 April 2021 detailing the requirements for obtaining ID documents. It states that a birth certificate is required to obtain a B form. In order to obtain an ID card, the applicant must either be accompanied by a parent or grandparent who is a registered citizen of Pakistan with a copy of or original ID card. If they are not accompanying the applicant, a copy of their ID card is necessary along with either the applicant’s matriculation certificate/marksheet, B form, passport or domicile.
Soch Fact Check also reached out to the Public Information Officer (PIO) of NADRA, Faik Ali Chachar inquiring about the alert. He clarified that the requirement for married women to show a copy of their nikkah nama (marriage certificate) while applying for a CNIC is only excused if their spouse accompanies them. If their spouse is not present, they must show their marriage certificate. We also asked Mr. Chachar whether there was an official alert about these changes to which he replied, “We have not issued such alerts. People are creating [them] out of nowhere.”
We found that many posts were accompanied by a series of visual text posts/infographics of the alert. The bottom of the infographics mentions a website and Facebook and Instagram handle called “Urdu Safha”.
The cover of a series of posts by “Urdu Safha” regarding new NADRA policies
We reached out to the page on instagram asking whether this post was made by them. The page owner answered that it was a very old post from their page. While we were not able to trace the original post, an organic search on Facebook showed that it was shared as early as December 2019. A similar ten point alert was shared in August 2019 as a caption with an image of the NADRA logo.
Virality
Soch Fact Check conducted a CrowdTangle analysis for the 30-day period since 23 September to 24 October using the following search terms:
- نادرہ الرٹ
The search turned up 6039 interactions across 81 posts. The alert has been shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. It was also shared on Twitter at different times here and here.
Conclusion: NADRA did not issue any alert related about new policies in October 2022. Birth certificates are still required to obtain a B form and married women are still required to show their marriage certificate unless they are accompanied with their spouse.