The National Database and Registration Authority has expanded biometric identification for minors using iris scans, making the facility available at more than 5,000 counters nationwide.
The ongoing drive is focused especially on children under the age of 18, whose identification is being strengthened through photographs and biometric features.
According to NADRA, iris-based identification will help protect children from identity theft and misuse. It will also provide an alternative for elderly people, manual workers and others whose fingerprints cannot be captured because of illness or skin conditions.
Speaking to Express News on Sunday, NADRA Director of Media Shabahat Ali said the rules governing Pakistan’s national identity card system were framed in 2002, when the country’s political, geographical and economic circumstances were very different.
He said Pakistan’s security environment has also changed significantly over the years, including developments linked to the Afghan war and regional instability.
Ali said registration continued under the same rules for nearly 23 years, but several shortcomings emerged over time.
NADRA raised these issues with the Ministry of Interior and sought guidance, after which the matter was referred to the prime minister and major reforms were introduced to the identity system.
A key part of the reforms is the protection of citizens below the age of 18, who make up around 46 percent of Pakistan’s population.
Shabahat Ali said the absence of a photograph in identification records could make children vulnerable to identity theft or misuse.
He said the reforms have also broadened the definition of biometric identification. Earlier, biometric verification was mostly understood in terms of fingerprints, but facial features and the iris of the eye are now also recognised as important identification markers.
NADRA has also informed financial institutions that where fingerprints cannot be obtained because of age, illness or any other reason, a person can be verified through facial recognition.
The authority said the iris is a unique biometric marker and can provide a highly effective method of identifying an individual.
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