A growing number of Pakistani citizens are reporting a serious administrative issue in which living individuals are mistakenly declared deceased in the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) records.
The problem has raised concerns about identity verification, civil documentation errors, and the process required to restore accurate citizen status.
A recent case from Hyderabad highlighted the issue when a resident discovered that NADRA had incorrectly marked him as deceased despite being alive.
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Officials have acknowledged that similar complaints are being received from across the country, pointing to gaps in coordination between local Union Councils and the national database system.
How NADRA records a person as deceased
According to NADRA officials, the authority does not independently declare any citizen dead. Instead, the system relies on death certificates issued by Union Councils.
Once a death certificate is officially registered at the local level, NADRA automatically updates its database and changes the individual’s status to deceased.
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Officials explained that errors typically occur in two situations. In some cases, a family member may mistakenly obtain a death certificate for the wrong person.
In other cases, clerical mistakes or incorrect identity number entries at the Union Council level can lead to wrong data being entered into the system.
What citizens must do to correct the record
NADRA has clarified that correction is only possible after the original death certificate is cancelled by the issuing Union Council.
The affected citizen must first visit the relevant Union Council office and request formal cancellation of the incorrect death record. Once the Union Council updates its records, NADRA can proceed with restoring the individual’s status as living.
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After cancellation, the citizen must visit a NADRA registration center and complete biometric verification. Following verification, the system is updated and identity documents are reactivated.
Officials emphasize that NADRA cannot directly override Union Council records, as all changes must follow the official documentation chain.
