ISLAMABAD, Mar 8 (APP):Chairman National Database and Registration Authority, Tariq Malik Wednesday said that NADRA was playing a pivotal role to empower Pakistani women in the digital age by ensuring their social, economic and political rights and providing them with computerised national identity cards (CNIC).
“NADRA is the only organisation that has provided equal opportunities to the women to get higher seats and be a part of the organisation”, he said while talking to the PTV news. In this regard, 204 females officers have been made in-charge of NADRA registration centres.
A number of initiatives have been taken for social‚ political and economic empowerment of women, he said, adding, the government is determined to mainstream women’s issues in its policies.
“CNIC has been made mandatory to get registered in voters list and vote casting, he said, adding, women’s right to vote can only be ensured by having a copy of CNIC.”He highlighted that with public awareness NADRA was providing technical advice about gender equality and empowerment of women.
He said NADRA had set up 19 women-only centres and 222 mobile registration vans across the country, adding, women drivers, security guards and female staff were being appointed in NADRA offices.
He said 97% population was being registered in a short span of time, adding, a 121 million voter list has been finalised countrywide.
He said that registration of women is tantamount to empowering them so that they can play a constructive role in national policy making.
NADRA remains steadfast in its commitment to achieve gender equality through preferential registration.
He stated that NADRA has done fresh registration (issued identity card for the first time) of 55% of the total registration of women from July 2022 to February 2023.
In total, NADRA has registered 6.3 million women across the country, which is 46% of the total registration.
He said NADRA was sending female-only mobile units to register women in selected districts of KPK, Balochistan, Chaman and many others to end cultural barriers.
All these initiatives have reduced the gender gap to 8.6% from 12% in the last one year, he added.
Chairman said that soon after taking over charge as NADRA chairman, he established a separate Inclusive Registration Department (IRD) headed by women and female biker service for carrying out processes of CNIC renewal and modification at the doorsteps of applicants.
NADRA women’s biker service is a great facility and its network should be spread throughout the country, he said.
Replying to a question, he said NADRA continued to maintain the proportion of females in its employees and women were working at more than 97pc of its registration offices.
Talking about the Single mother policy, he said NADRA has also issued many computerized national identity Card (CNIC) to a woman who does not know where her father is and was raised by a single parent, adding he said we have introduced a policy earlier this year to allow single mothers to get their children registered without asking them to submit documents of the other parent.