Mullah Mansour’s death and the subsequent investigation has revealed a glaring hole in the country’s security, one that should have been noticed sooner. Finding a genuine Pakistani National Identity Card (NIC) and a valid passport on him has finally made the government realise that foreign nationals do not need to forge the NIC, instead it is handed to them by Nadra officials looking to make a quick buck. Chaudhry Nisar’s announcement of a complete review then, comes late, but still remains necessary, and it is hoped the given timeframe of 48 hours to develop a means to do this is enough. A hasty review that leaves half the job undone is of no use to anyone.

In lieu of the failure to carry out a census in the past seventeen years, the Nadra database is virtually the only means of estimating the total population of the country, as well as work out the population demographics of each area. But the database’s fallibility was no secret; there have been numerous cases of ID cards issued for people that do not belong here, while actual citizens cannot get themselves registered for one reason or another. Both corruption and indifference have a part to play in creating the situation we find ourselves in today, and after the verification process, an investigation into such large-scale mismanagement and corruption should be carried out.

45000 foreigners have reportedly been registered with Nadra under false aliases. This tells us that terrorists can enter the country with ease using the porous borders, and can then roam around the country as a legal citizen on the surface. Afghanis, Indians and a whole host of other nations both friendly and unfriendly have nationals that also possess the Pakistani NIC. The lofty principles this nation state was created on are undermined each time a foreign national can buy themselves a (fake) citizenship. National security and our national identity both need to preserved by ending this practice.