LAHORE: The Punjab government on Wednesday recommended the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to block the computerised national identity cards of the late Kulsoom Nawaz and former finance minister Ishaq Dar after fake Covid vaccine entries were made against their CNICs in Vehari and Multan.

It suggested the NCOC to engage the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and other concerned departments to block these two CNICs and come up with a future strategy to stop misuse of identity cards to avoid such issues, an official told Dawn.

Earlier, he said, the same request had also been sent to the NCOC to block the CNIC of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif when it was misused for the second time at Narowal Public School where the PML-N supremo was ‘administered’ single-dose CanSino on Oct 4.

The Punjab government also referred the cases of the late Kulsoom Nawaz and Ishaq Dar to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch an investigation against the culprits behind these fresh bogus entries in the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS).

Health dept says fake entry cases were referred to FIA

The official record showed the [identity] card of the late Kulsoom Nawaz was misused for vaccination at the healthcare unit established at the gymnasium in Mailsi (Vehari) and the CNIC of Ishaq Dar at the office of the chief executive officer, DHA, Multan.

It further said the late Kulsoom ‘received’ Pakvac vaccine on Oct 5 at 10:16am and Mr Dar CanSino at 10:49am.

The official lamented that the fake Covid vaccination entries continued to surface, raising doubts on the transparency of data entry system and appointment of untrained staff for its management.

He said the issue had [for the first time] came to the limelight when fake Covid vaccine (Sinovac) entry was made by using the CNIC of Nawaz Sharif at Kot Khwaja Saeed Hospital Lahore on Sept 22 who has been living in the UK since November 2019.

The Punjab government had [then] suspended from service four officials of the hospital, including the medical superintendent and a senior medical officer, holding them responsible for the mismanagement in departmental inquiries.

It had also taken same action against two other employees of Kot Khwaja Saeed Hospital after they were held guilty of making bogus entry.

The FIA and the Lahore police had lodged cases separately against the suspects for misusing CNIC of the former premier.

The Punjab health department on Wednesday said the new fake entry cases were referred to the cyber crime wing of the FIA.

“It is hereby requested to kindly investigate and take necessary action against the fake entry on the name of the late Kulsoom Nawaz and former senator Ishaq Dar in the National Immunisation Management System,” reads a letter written to the FIA by the Punjab government here on Wednesday.

The letter said the government also provided to the FIA details including mobile phone number used by the suspects to make entries in Vehari and Multan.

According to the health department, the matter was also reviewed in a meeting to further streamline system of data entry to avoid such incidents in future.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2021