ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has officially discontinued its identity card services at General Post Offices (GPOs) across Pakistan, citing minimal public engagement and a general lack of awareness.
Launched three years ago as part of a government initiative, the collaboration between NADRA and Pakistan Post was designed to offer citizens easier access to essential services—such as CNIC renewals, address changes, and marital status updates—via dedicated counters at post offices.
However, NADRA has now ordered the closure of all such counters nationwide. Staff have been instructed to return all equipment and submit any collected fees, while ready-for-delivery CNICs are to be handed over to applicants before the counters are completely dismantled.
A NADRA spokesperson stated, “Due to the extremely low number of applicants at post office counters, the facilities have been shut down. The equipment will be relocated to union councils in the next fiscal year.”
Despite offering important services—including address updates, photo and signature changes, and ID renewals—the initiative struggled to attract users. Officials attributed the poor turnout largely to a lack of public awareness.
The counters were operational in major urban centers, including Karachi, since February 2022 as part of a 10-year agreement between NADRA and Pakistan Post. Now, just three years in, the program has been shelved, affecting approximately 83 counters across all four provinces and Azad Kashmir.
In Karachi, 10 counters at key post offices—including II Chundrigar Road and Saddar GPO—have been shut down. These sites had previously helped reduce congestion at NADRA service centers by easing foot traffic.
Despite the clear benefits, many citizens remained unaware of the availability of these services. “Most people didn’t know such services existed,” one official noted.
Plans for public outreach through social media and other platforms had been discussed by both NADRA and Pakistan Post but were never implemented at scale.
Going forward, NADRA plans to transfer the equipment from the shuttered GPO counters to local union councils in an effort to strengthen decentralized service delivery and improve accessibility for citizens at the grassroots level.
