ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: The National Database and Registration Authority (CDA) has sent a proposal to the interior ministry, demanding that submission of fake applications for Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) should be made a cognizable offence, the authority’s chairman, Brig (retd) Saleem Moeen said here on Thursday.

Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Interior here, Saleem Moeen said the authority had so far lodged 20,000 cases of fraud but unfortunately not a single accused had so far been brought to justice.

“The flow of submitting fraud applications would remain the same unless it is made a cognizable offence,” he said and added that about 250 fake applications for issuance of new CNICs were being detected everyday from all over the country. “Most of these applications are submitted to get CNICs for committing fraud in land cases,” he added.

Mr Moeen said a proper legislation was required to declare submission of fake applications as a cognizable offence. “In this connection, a draft has been sent to the interior ministry for forwarding it to parliament for legislation,” he said.

The Nadra chief said the number of bank fraud cases had reduced considerably due to detection of fake applications for identity cards by his department.