Senate decision on ID cards mistaken: Muslimyar

KABUL chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar on Sunday clarified the upper house had not decided against mentioning words religion and Afghan in computerized national identity cards, saying there has been a misunderstanding in reporting the upper house’s decision.

Muslimyar was addressing assembly members a day after hundreds of people took to the streets in Kabul to protest the Meshrano Jirga’s decision dropping religion and Afghan words from the ID cards.

The Senate chairman said by adopting the draft law on population census they decided penname, religion and Afghan should not appear on the card’s face, but included in the supporting database.

He said the Meshrano Jirga had made no changes to the draft law on population census, saying some people were spreading misinformation about the Senate.

Muslimyar said 35 various types information would be stored in the supporting database about the bearer. “If the words religion and Afghan are not mentioned in the electronic ID cards, we will also not accept them,” he added.

The government had sent the draft law on population census to the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of the parliament in March, proposing the card holder’s name, father and grandfather’s name, date of birth, place and current address in the new ID cards.

In July, the lower house approved the law, which has 7 chapters and 39 articles.

ma/mds

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