GUJRAT: The expatriate Pakistanis have been facing problems in submission of applications for computerised licences of firearms since the computerised system installed at the centres National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) is unable to verify the fingerprints of those applicants whose computerised national identity cards (CNICs) were issued by the Pakistani missions and embassies abroad.

An official of the district government who deals with firearms licensing branch told Dawn the expatriates having the Pakistani origin cards and the CNICs issued from the overseas diplomatic missions had to face disappointment at the facilitation centres when the data in the Nadra system did not recognise their fingerprints as it could only match the fingerprints of those whose CNICs were issued from Pakistan.Mehdi Khan, a resident of Dinga, settled in the Netherlands for the last 35 years, told Dawn at the Nadra centre established at the third floor of the district government complex that he had first visited Nadra of fice at Kharian where he was told to go to Gujrat office where such applications for computerised licences could be received.

He said that after visiting Gujrat office, he went back to the district government`s facilitation centre.

However, despite completing all the prerequisites, including submission of Rs1,400 fee, the of ficial at the district government centre told him that his case could not be proceeded further due to some technical fault.

Mehdi said he had to fly back to Europe within a few weeks and his application for computerise d licence would remain pending until Nadra did not get exclusive software for the expatriates and he might have to come back to Pakistan again solely for his licence.

Waqar Khan, the focal person for the district government who alsolooks after the affairs of the firearms licensing branch, said he had received a number of complaints of the overseas Pakistanis regarding the data and he had apprised the Nadra officials of the issue. He said the authorities in the federal interior ministry and Nadra had assured him that the government was working on the project of preparing separate software for the computerised licences to the overseas Pakistanis besides making arrangements for facilitating them in the embassies in their respective countries across the globe.

According to of ficial data, at least 100,000 firearm licenses were issued in Gujrat district during the last three to four decades and all these licences have to be computerised now as per the federal and provincial governments` new policy.

Only about 10,000 of the manual licenses have been submitted at the computerised centres in the district which are being verified. The drive for computerised licences will continue till December 2015.