PESHAWAR: Former nazims and councillors belonging to different political parties in the provincial metropolis have asked the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to open the blocked computerised national identity cards (CNICs) of people immediately otherwise they will start protest demonstrations and sit-ins against it.

Speakingatapressconference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Sabir Awan, convener of the former nazims and councillors, said that CNICs of 72,000 people had been blocked by Nadra and 52,000 of them belonged to Peshawar district alone.

`No doubt, there will be some foreigners who got the CNICs by greasing the palm of the Nadra employees, but the action also caused severe hardships to the Pakistani citizens,` he said.

Mr Awan said that majority of the owners of blocked cards were daily wagers who had to move around for seeking work in different areas.

He said that these people had to face problems while passing through security checkpoints. He said that the people intending to go abroad for employment, umra, etc could not obtain passports and other relevant documents.

`We have held several meetings with the officials of Nadra and deputy commissioner, Peshawar, but despite assurances by them the problem has not been resolved so far,` he said.

Mr Awan, who is former Jamaat-i-Islam MNA, said that they along with other political parties hadheld several protest demonstrations in this regard, but to no avail. He alleged that personnel of the relevant law enforcement agencies had been delaying verification of the cases, adding no one was ready to work unless paid a bribe. Former Peshawar district nazim Umer Khan of Awami National Party said that a large number of tribal people from different agencies had been living in Peshawar, but were compelled by Nadra officials to confirm their verification from their respected agencies, which, he added, was injustice with them. Bureau Report