Private firm to attest ID cards, birth certificates

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Population Registration Department (PRD) on Thursday handed over the attestation process for the computerized national identity (CNIC) cards and birth certificates to a private company under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Based on the MoU inked here between Humayun Mohtat, PRD head at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), and Obaidullah Ibrahimi, head of ‘Obaidullah Ibrahimi International Group’, the private company would use smart system for the processes.

Mohtat said the step was aimed at preventing corruption and delivering good services to the people. He said the company would start functioning in Kabul and some provinces from next Saturday (July 22).

He said it was optional for people to use the company for attestation of ID cards (Tazkera) or making birth certificates because the PRD would also be providing the same services at the same time.

Ibrahimi said nine agencies of his company in Kabul and one each in Herat, Nangarhar, Balkh and Kandahar provinces were offering the services. It has been set the number of agencies would be increased to 40 across the country until the end of the year, he said.

He said based on the MoU, the attestation steps would be finished in a single day against 300afs only, adding applicants after submitting their Tazkera forms were no more required to be present in clearing the steps of the process.

The MoU comes at a time when a person should approach the PRD for attesting his/her ID card and one should be present throughout the different stages of the process, which takes two days to complete.

Meanwhile, some reports say some people pay about 500afs to middlemen for getting their ID cards attested.

According to the population registration department, thousands of people visit the department for Tazkera confirmation and birth certificate in Kabul and provinces.

Mohtat said his department, keeping in view the number of clients and its workforce, wasn’t able to provide better services.

But with the implementation of the MoU signed today, more convenience and ease would be paved for the applicants.

He said the company based on the MoU was responsible to create job opportunities for 600 people in spheres of Tazkera attestation and birth certificates.

Meanwhile, Mohtat told reporters the computerized ID cards’ issuance process would be launched on August 14 in Kabul in compliance with a president’s order. The process would later be extended to provinces, he concluded.

sns/ma