Claim: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has changed its policy and does not include the special designation “Resident of AJK State” on Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir residents.
Fact: The claim is misleading as no such changes have been made in the policy. NADRA refuted the claim and mentioned that such issues happen due to operators’ clerical mistakes or incomplete documentation.
On 18 January 2025, a user on Facebook posted an image of a CNIC with the caption:
تقسیم کی علامت
پاکستان کے زیر انتظام جموں و کشمیر کے شہریوں کے أئی ڈی کارڈ سے آزاد جموں و کشمیر ہٹا دیا گی
Translation:
[Symbol of divide.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be removed from the ID cards of the citizens of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.]
The Pakistan Citizenship Rules, 1951 do not explicitly mention the citizenship of residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) or Pakistan-administered Kashmir. However, according to Section 18 titled “Citizenship by Incorporation of Territory,” “the Federal Government may by notification in the Gazette and on such terms and conditions as may be specified in such notification, apply all or any of these Rules to persons who, by reason of their connection with any territory which may be incorporated in Pakistan, are entitled to be citizens of Pakistan”. Although it does not specify the territories, it may include residents of AJK.
Fact or Fiction?
To investigate, Soch Fact Check reached out to Kashmir-based freelance journalist Syeda Faiza Gillani who explained on call that the residents of Pakistan-administered Kashmir have a different status and it is mentioned on their CNICs issued by NADRA.
We also contacted Mr. Sardar Waqar Rasheed, Deputy Assistant Director at NADRA’s Muzaffarabad office, to verify the claim. In a phone interview with Soch Fact Check, Mr Rasheed confirmed that there have been no recent policy changes regarding the issuance of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) to residents of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
He attributed instances where the “Resident of AJK State” designation is missing from CNICs to clerical errors. Mr Rasheed explained that NADRA’s backend system includes a specific option to imprint this designation on CNICs for AJK residents. However, he noted that “when ID cards are processed in areas outside of AJK, staff may inadvertently overlook this option, leading to the omission”.
He assured us that such errors could be rectified upon receiving a complaint. In such cases, “NADRA reissues the CNIC with the correct designation.”
Furthermore, we also found the latest press release issued by NADRA on their official website on 19 January 2025. It read that NADRA imprints the phrase “Resident of AJK State” in black on Smart Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) and in red on regular CNICs. To include the phrase, a valid State Subject Certificate (Class 1, 2, or 3) provided by the Government of AJK needs to be submitted with the application, the press release added.
Refuting the recent rumours, the press release also mentioned:
“between December 2024 and January 2025 alone, NADRA issued over 50,000 CNICs with the ‘Resident of AJK State’ imprint. In a few specific cases, the absence of this imprint may be attributed to either:
1. The applicant’s failure to submit the required State Subject Certificate at the time of application, or
2. Errors by the data entry operator during the CNIC processing.”
Thus, Soch Fact Check confirms that the recent posts on social media are misleading as no such policy change has been introduced by NADRA.
Virality
The misleading posts were shared here and here on Facebook.
Conclusion: NADRA has not changed its policy regarding the inclusion of “Residents of AJK State” on the National Identity Cards issued to the residents of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. According to the Deputy Assistant Director at NADRA’s Muzaffarabad office, such issues happen due to clerical mistakes and are rectified after the complaint. The posts circulating are, therefore, misleading.
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Background image in cover photo: National Courier
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