Complex processes
THE least a state must know about its citizens is the date of their birth and the date they expire — also a legal requirement for all perishable products in the market. Pakistan, however, considers gathering this vital information an unnecessary hassle. Instead, complex bureaucratic procedures have been designed to dissuade citizens from providing this information.
While proud of Nadra, we have failed to use its powerful databases to create customer-friendly and hassle-free birth and death registration processes.
Every few days, the mainstream media reports on instances of young children, often less than 10 years, being tortured, raped or murdered. Superficial statements of sympathy follow. No one, however, points out that most of these children have never existed in the official records. They have had neither a birth nor a child registration certificate (CRC or B-form). According to Unicef’s annual report, 2023, 60 per cent of children here are not registered before their fifth birthday. This makes Pakistan the country with the highest number of unregistered children globally.
Our existing system of obtaining a birth certificate requires an applicant to fill a form in Urdu and English, manufacture an affidavit on stamped paper, write an application to the union council chairman, produce a birth report issued by the hospital where the child was born, attach CNIC copies of the mother, father and grandfather, and deposit a fee of Rs200. For children born at home, one also needs copies of the midwife’s CNIC and certificate, along with the statements and CNIC copies of two witnesses, all attested by a Grade-17 officer and above. Cantonments also ask for a copy of the property tax payment receipt.
Dying is far easier than obtaining a death certificate.
Ironically, one must return to Nadra with yet more photocopies of CNICs, affidavits and the birth certificate for the issuance of a CRC, a process that could have been easily merged with the one for obtaining the birth certificate.
A digital solution could eliminate the torturous steps involved. Combine the processes of obtaining the birth certificate and CRC into a single task. Next, create linkages and ask hospitals and maternity homes to provide Nadra with all related information within 48 hours of the birth of a child. This could include the CNIC details of the parents and grandfather, the child’s name, gender, photograph, address, date and time of birth, the name and CNIC copy of the doctor who delivered the baby and the fee payment receipt — all sent in a single email. Simultaneously, the biometrics of the mother/father should be sent to Nadra for cross-checking and verification, followed by Nadra uploading the birth and CRC certificates on its website.
Dying, it seems, is much easier than obtaining a death certificate. No wonder almost 50pc of deaths are not registered, nor are the CNICs of the deceased cancelled. This has led to the promotion of a huge number of ghost pensioners and dummy voters. The existing death certificate procedure poses at least 10 hurdles for the heirs to cross. An application form in English and Urdu, a fee of Rs200 for the form, the death report from the hospital, an attested affidavit on stamped paper of Rs100, a graveyard report, a photocopy of the CNIC of the deceased and the applicant, the family registration certificate, an NOC by all heirs on a Rs100 stamped paper, and, for the cantonments, a copy of the last property tax paid. If the heir survives to successfully receive a death certificate, yet another process must be initiated with Nadra to request the cancellation of the deceased’s CNIC. Both could have been easily merged into a single process.
A digital death certificate system would call for the registration of all hospitals and graveyards across the country and make them legally bound to directly inform Nadra whenever an individual dies in hospital or is buried in a graveyard. Basic information such as an allocated ID for the hospital/ graveyard, name and CNIC details of the deceased and his/ her heir, date and time of death and burial could be sent as an SMS message to a dedicated Nadra number. This would enable Nadra to receive first-hand information about all deaths, and initiate important downstream actions such as blocking pensions, Sims and CNICs, and uploading the death certificate on its website.
Each citizen should also be asked to directly send an SMS to a Nadra-specified number, providing basic information of a death or birth in the family. This could be helpful in the verification of the formally received information from hospitals and graveyards.
Why can we not bring decades of endless running around, in pursuit of photocopies, affidavits, attestations, challans, stamped paper, oath commissioners and notaries public, to a rapid and happy ending?
The writer is an industrial engineer and a volunteer social activist.
Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2024