Nicop condition lifted for emigrant workers

islamabad — The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) on Thursday issued a clarification pertaining to media reports that the requirement of the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop) has been revoked for all Pakistanis living abroad.

A ministry’s spokesperson said that media reports had quoted recently that Nicop was not a requirement anymore for overseas Pakistanis, whereas the ministry had only issued directions not to demand Nicop from emigrant workers for registration at its protectorate of emigrants offices.

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Ordinance, 2000, imposed a compulsory requirement of the National Identity for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop) on the intending emigrants. Therefore, Nicop became a precondition for protector clearance as no intending emigrant could be registered without having Nicop, he said.

He said the Nicop imposition was country specific and structure of fees varied from country to country.

Referring to a recent meeting, he said, it had been decided that the protector of emigrants will not insist for Nicop to protect clearance of the passports of intending emigrants. The directions had been issued to all offices of protector of emigrants that Nicop was not to be demanded at the time of registration. —