Pakistan: The information contained on a National Identity Card (NIC) and on the process to obtain a renewed NIC from Canada
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK29017.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: The information contained on a National Identity Card (NIC) and on the process to obtain a renewed NIC from Canada, 1 March 1998, PAK29017.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ace424.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For information on the National Identity Card (NIC), please consult the attached 25 March 1998 letter from First Secretary (Consular) of the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Ottawa.
The description of the NICs given below is based on the specimens provided by the Pakistan High Commission and mentioned in the attached letter. Please note that copies of these specimen NICs cannot be released into the public domain.
The computerized NIC is presently issued only in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and is different from the NIC issued throughout the rest of Pakistan. The information that is provided on the photo-bearing side of the computerized NIC is: "Government of Pakistan" at top centre, "National Identity Card" immediately below, a photo of the NIC bearer at left, and at right in descending order: name of bearer, father/husband's name, identification mark, signature of holder.
On the reverse side of the computerized NIC the information provided is: a machine readable bar code at top centre, thumb impression at upper left, a number directly below, Issuing Authority at lower left. On the right in descending order below the bar code is: the identification number, present address, permanent address. A number is found also at bottom right.
In Islamabad and Rawalpindi men are issued a blue computerized NIC, while women are issued a pink computerized NIC.
The NIC issued throughout Pakistan, except in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, contains the following information on the photo-bearing side: Pakistani crest at upper right hand corner, "Government of Pakistan" at center top, "National Identity Card" directly below, a number directly below, photo of NIC bearer at left, and bearer's signature at lower right corner. At the bottom of the card is a space reserved for official use.
The reverse side of the same NIC contains in descending order the identification number, bearer's name, father/husband's name, present address, permanent address, identification mark, date of birth, and in the lower left corner: the Issuing Authority.
Please consult Response to Information Request PAK25678.E of 18 November 1996, available at all Regional Documentation Centres, for a translated copy of the application form for the NIC.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
The High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in Ottawa. 25 March 1998. Letter from the First Secretary (Consular).
Attachment
The High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in Ottawa. 25 March 1998. Letter from the First Secretary (Consular).