ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The federal government has made the words “Resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir” mandatory on the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) for residents of Azad Kashmir.
The government has notified several amendments to the National Identity Card Rules, 2002, and the Pakistan Origin Card Rules, 2002, under Section 44 of the NADRA Ordinance, 2000, to modernise the country’s identity document framework.
According to the details, the notification stated that the addition of the words “Resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir” to the CNICs of AJK residents will ensure uniform standardized geographical identification on the document.
The newly introduced reforms include legalized QR-based authentication, strengthened authentication controls in digital services, expanded biometric scope, and updated various card formats.
QR-based authentication
The main aspect of these amendments is to legally include the QR Code as a regular security and authentication feature.
According to the amendments, the rules define QR code as a secure, machine-readable two-dimensional barcode that encodes and stores information and provides usable identity verification data when scanned.
Furthermore, QR code or any other technical feature has been allowed to be used as an alternative to the existing microchip, eliminating the need for NADRA to repeatedly amend the rules to adopt modern and evolving verification technologies, the document stated.
This step establishes a strong legal basis for instant and secure verification in both offline and online environments.
It will also make it possible to issue a uniform type of ID card to citizens, instead of the current two different types of national ID cards, one with a microchip and the other without.
Moreover, this QR-enabled system will strengthen Pakistan’s digital ID system and strengthen interoperability through the National Data Exchange Layer.
“QR-based credentials enable instant point-of-sale authentication at the point of service delivery, while back-end systems can verify the authenticity and status of credentials through trusted digital exchanges,” the amendments stated.
This is expected to increase the speed, transparency, and consistency of identity verification in government agencies and regulated sectors, reduce manual processes, and reduce the risks of fraud and impersonation.
The rules also strengthen the impact of card suspension. The new rules now clarify that when a card is suspended, all authentication, verification, and related services associated with it will be considered suspended immediately.
This ensures that a suspended card cannot be used for any digital or institutional authentication process.
Strengthening the biometric system
Moreover, the government has strengthened the biometric system; fingerprints and iris scans have been explicitly included in the rules, reflecting a modern and multi-modal biometric identification system.
In terms of civic convenience, a facility has been provided for the issuance of smart national identity cards with a special mark for the resident or non-resident citizens of sixty years of age and above, which is valid for a lifetime.
This will relieve senior citizens from the need for frequent renewal and will significantly increase convenience for them.
New samples of smart identity cards of different types have been included by completely updating the schedules of the rules. These include resident citizens, overseas Pakistanis, child registration certificates, disabled persons, organ donors, combined categories, and residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
All the new formats feature prominent QR codes and modern security layouts, creating a modern and standardized identity document system. Collectively, these amendments further strengthen the legal and technical foundations of Pakistan’s national identity system.
QR-based secure authentication, strengthening of the digital verification system, enhanced biometric assurance, reduction of fraud risks through instant suspension, and lifetime validity for senior citizens will further move Pakistan towards integrated digital governance.
These reforms will play a significant role in promoting inter-agency coordination and modern digital governance through the National Data Exchange Layer and the broader digital ID system.
