The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) is the only authorised institution responsible for issuing identity documents to Pakistanis living both within the country and abroad.
A resident of Hyderabad complained that he had been declared deceased in NADRA’s records despite being alive. Questions were raised regarding how such an error occurs and what steps are required to restore a person’s status as living in the official database.
A NADRA representative acknowledged that many citizens are currently facing similar issues, where they are mistakenly listed as deceased in the authority’s records.
The official clarified that NADRA does not independently mark any citizen as deceased unless the individual’s death has first been registered with the relevant Union Council.
According to the representative, NADRA receives death records directly from Union Councils, and such errors generally occur for two main reasons.
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Firstly, a family member may apply for and obtain a death certificate for the individual from the relevant Union Council, which automatically updates the person’s status as deceased in NADRA’s database. Secondly, clerical or identification number errors during the issuance of a death certificate can also result in an individual being incorrectly declared dead.
The official explained that the record can only be corrected if the affected person visits the relevant Union Council office and gets the death certificate formally cancelled. Until the death certificate is revoked at the Union Council level, NADRA cannot amend the individual’s status.
Once the death certificate has been cancelled, the citizen must visit any NADRA office in the country and complete biometric verification, after which the official record will be updated accordingly.