THAT the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has issued about 90,000 computerised national ID cards illegally to foreigners is no real surprise. However, that its administration has responded by dismissing 153 employees, from Grades 5 to 14, and registering criminal cases against them, that is unusual, for the normal reaction of the authorities is to sweep any scandal under the carpet and pretend that nothing has happened. The example set by NADRA, of dismissing the guilty, is one that deserves emulation by other departments. However, as NADRA has an international reputation after it introduced the machine-readable passports, the sackings were perhaps inevitable after the unearthing of the scam, which was centred in Sindh, but extended to all provinces, making the matter a national one. The authorities also appear aware of a particular danger of this widespread issuance of CNICs and passports to foreigners. The foreigners could include those who have need of Pakistani documents to prove that they are Pakistani citizens even though they come from the neighboring and hostile country of India. However, this is a particularly dangerous aspect, for that is why, presumably, Sindh and Punjab were also involved in the issuing of fake documents. While it is inevitable that there will be a lot of accusations hurled against Afghans, this aspect needs close investigation, and it needs determining how many CNICs were issued to Indians working for their intelligence agencies. The process of issuing CNICs to replace the old ID cards was painful enough, and while the number of illegally issued CNICs would perhaps require a replacement, the ministry concerned, Interior, should find a way of securing the system without inconveniencing its real owners, the rightful card holders, the citizens of Pakistan. That should surely not be beyond the powers of the incumbent minister, provided he could take some time out from his other engagements.