Pakistan faced significant hurdles in conducting a national population census in 1997.
Years of delays had resulted in varying estimates across administrative units, making it a monumental challenge to gather accurate national population data.
In this context, the then Prime Minister called upon the Pakistan Armed Forces to assist in organising the census. The responsibility was handed over to the headquarters of the Army Air Defence Command, with the primary objective of conducting the national census.
This moment marked the beginning of a major transformation, laying the foundation for a national identification system that would not only count citizens but also integrate them into a systematic, digital database.
The initiative led to the formation of a centralised, secure, and modern digital database, approved by the Government of Pakistan. In March 1998, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) was established.
For the national census, a total of 60 million data forms were printed and distributed to every household across the country.
Leveraging this rare opportunity, it was decided that the census would not only collect population data but also gather comprehensive information about each citizen.
The census teams travelled the length and breadth of the country to ensure the accuracy of the collected data, issuing forms in the first phase and retrieving them in the second phase.
These same national data forms are still used today as the application forms for computerised national identity cards.
This was the moment when Pakistan laid the groundwork for a nationwide digital identification system.
With this innovative step, Pakistan joined the ranks of the first nations to take such an initiative on a large scale.
Despite limited resources, the project was completed with remarkable skill, involving the collaboration of Pakistan's Armed Forces, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, schoolteachers, and government officials sent to every region of the country, including FATA, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Following the collection of data, the next challenge was digitising it. At the time, high-speed scanners capable of processing such large volumes of data were unavailable.
Additionally, Urdu language support on computers was not fully developed.
To overcome this, a standard system for digital processing of Urdu was created with the help of the National Language Authority.
Over 20,000 young Pakistanis were specially trained and assigned to assist with Urdu data entry. Their tireless efforts resulted in the creation of Pakistan's first national civilian database.
Recognising the long-term significance of this project, efforts to document the population were continued.
On 10 March 2000, the National Database Organisation was merged with the Directorate General of Registration, forming the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
Major General Zahid Ehsan was appointed as its first chairman. In its early days, Nadra faced severe financial challenges due to the lack of a designated budget.
To secure financial autonomy, unconventional methods were employed.
For the conduct of elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan required a digital voter list. Nadra used its data collection capabilities to produce Pakistan’s first computerised electoral roll.
This strategy not only provided a modern digital solution for national elections but also ensured Nadra's financial independence.
The Election Commission paid Nadra Rs500 million, which Nadra utilised to obtain a commercial loan of Rs3.5 billion. This loan was repaid quickly, and Nadra became self-sufficient, a status it still proudly holds today.
In 2001, after Nadra's establishment, Pakistan introduced the computerised national identity card, a secure, modern, and technologically advanced form of identification.
Nadra's success owes much to the indelible contribution of officers from Pakistan's Armed Forces, who laid its foundation through their hard work and expertise.
Although numerous challenges were faced during Nadra’s journey, the result was an extraordinary success.
Today, Pakistan stands as one of the few countries with a modern and comprehensive digital identification system.
