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LAHORE: After three years of repeated attempts to get her digital national identity card, Rubina — a woman from the Pakistani city of Karachi — decided to take her battle to court, winning a landmark victory. Until then, Pakistanis had not been able to get the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) unless they presented their father’s ID card — an impossibility for many people, including those like Rubina who were raised by single mothers. The card is vital to vote, access government benefits including public schools and health care, open a bank account or apply for jobs. “I would turn up there, and be told to bring my father’s card,” said Rubina, 21. “My mother raised me after my father abandoned us soon after my birth — how could I furnish his identity papers then?“ Rubina’s frustration drove her to file a petition at the high court in Sindh province, which in November ruled that the government agency that oversees the CNIC must issue her a card based on her mother’s citizenship record. For Rubina, the decision meant she could apply to take over her mother’s job as an attendant in the state education department when her mother retired.
• Many people still lack Computerized National Identity Card
• Critics cite database breaches, privacy violations
More widely, her case ends the effective exclusion of children of single mothers from the ID card scheme, said Haris Khaleeq, secretary-general of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a nonprofit. “Without a CNIC, neither can any public service be accessed, nor can any banking transaction be conducted,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “In short, one has no rights at all as a citizen.” The agency in charge of the CNIC, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), has said it is striving to reach people who have so far been excluded. “The government has a clear policy that people who are supposed to be registered in the database will not be excluded,” said Salman Sufi, head of the prime minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit, which oversees the implementation of federal policy.
’LIKE ALIENS’ Established in 2000, NADRA maintains the nation’s biometric database, and says it has issued some 120 million CNICs to 96 percent of adults in the nation of about 212 million people. Each card comprises a 13-digit unique ID, a photograph of the person, their signature, and a microchip that contains their iris scans and fingerprints. Yet millions of people in Pakistan, including women, transgender people, migrant workers and nomadic communities are still without a CNIC. More than 1 billion people globally have no way of proving their identity, according to the World Bank. While governments across the world are adopting digital ID systems they say are improving governance, the UN special rapporteur on human rights has said they exclude marginalized groups, and should not be a prerequisite for accessing social protection schemes. A study of migrant workers in Karachi by HRCP last year showed that women were more likely not to have a CNIC, putting them at risk of destitution if their husband died or left the family. Children whose parents are not registered are especially vulnerable, as they cannot get birth certificates, and are at greater risk of trafficking and forced labor, HRCP said. It has recommended more mobile registration units and female staff to help register vulnerable groups, as well as simpler processes and less stringent documentation requirements, which also make it harder for immigrants to apply. Only half of some 2.8 million Afghan refugees who have lived in Pakistan for decades are registered with the government. There is also a sizable population of unregistered Bengali, Nepali, and Rohingya immigrants in Pakistan. “A majority of the Bengali-origin Pakistanis do not have CNICs and are living like aliens and illegal migrants in their own country,” Sheikh Feroz, a community leader, told a recent rally to demand CNICs. NADRA — which has also helped set up digital ID systems in Bangladesh, Kenya and Nigeria — has said it has a dedicated registration department “especially for women, minorities, transgender and unregistered persons.” The agency said it had several women-only centers, particularly in border provinces, “to overcome the socio-cultural barriers of women hesitating to deal with male staff,” and prioritizes senior citizens and the disabled. “Everyone will be provided an opportunity to get registered. No group based on their ethnicity, race or religion will be excluded,” said Sufi, from the Strategic Reforms Unit.
DATA THEFT For those who have a CNIC, privacy violations are a risk. The CNIC database is accessed by about 300 public and private service providers, from the tax department to the election commission to mobile service providers. There have been several data breaches, which points to inadequate security, said Nighat Dad, a lawyer and executive director at the Digital Rights Foundation, a nonprofit. “Women often complain of harassment after their personal information is leaked and is weaponized to blackmail them,” she said. “Since there is no data protection law, there is no accountability even when personal data such as phone numbers are leaked,” she added. Data breaches that expose personal data are particularly risky for vulnerable groups such as journalists, activists and religious and ethnic minorities, said Haroon Baloch, senior program manager at Bytes for All, a digital rights group. “Citizens are not aware of the use of their biometric data,” he said. “The personal data attached with the biometric IDs can be misused, with serious privacy implications not just for the individual, but also their family.” NADRA officials have rejected accusations that the data has been compromised, saying the database has a multi-layer security system “which makes hacking impossible.” The government will roll out a data privacy policy “very soon,” said Sufi, with adequate safeguards for data protection, and “punishment in case of breach of privacy or data theft.” For Rubina, who could not even get a COVID-19 vaccine without a CNIC, simply getting the ID is half the battle won. “I am happy that others will not suffer like me,” she said.
ODESA, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited a Black Sea port Friday as crews prepared terminals to export grain trapped by Russia’s five-month-old war. Work has been inching forward a week after a deal was struck to allow critical food supplies to flow to millions of impoverished people facing hunger worldwide. “The first vessel, the first ship is being loaded since the beginning of the war,” Zelensky said at a port in the Odesa region. He said, however, that the departure of wheat and other grain will begin with several ships that were already loaded but could not leave Ukrainian ports after Russia invaded in late February. Ukraine is a key global exporter of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil, and the loss of those supplies has raised global food prices, threatened political insecurity and helped push more people into poverty and hunger in already vulnerable countries. Ukraine’s military is committed to the safety of ships, Zelensky said, adding that “it is important for us that Ukraine remains the guarantor of global food security.” His unannounced visit to the port is part of a broader push by Ukraine to show the world that it is nearly ready to export millions of tons of grains after last week’s breakthrough agreements, which were brokered by Turkey and the United Nations and signed separately by Ukraine and Russia. The sides agreed to facilitate the shipment of wheat and other grains from three Ukrainian ports through safe corridors on the Black Sea, as well as fertilizer and food from Russia. But a Russian missile strike on Odesa hours after signing the deal has thrown Moscow’s commitment into question and raised new concerns about the safety of shipping crews, who also have to navigate waters strewn with explosive mines. The security concerns and complexities of the agreements have set off a slow, cautious start, with no grains having yet left Ukrainian ports. The sides are facing a ticking clock — the deal is only good for 120 days. The goal over the next four months is to get some 20 million tons of grain out of three Ukrainian sea ports blocked since the Feb. 24 invasion. That provides time for about four to five large bulk carriers per day to transport grain from the ports to millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, who are already facing food shortages and, in some cases, famine. Getting wheat and other food out is also critical to farmers in Ukraine, who are running out of storage capacity amid a new harvest. “We are ready,” Ukraine’s minister of infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, told reporters at the port of Odesa on Friday. But he said Ukraine is waiting on the UN to confirm the safe corridors that will be used by ships navigating the waters. In the meantime, a ship at the port of Chernomorsk was being loaded with grains, he said. Martin Griffiths, the UN official who mediated the deals, cautioned that work was still being done to finalize the exact coordinates of the safest routes, saying this must be “absolutely nailed down.” Lloyd’s List, a global publisher of shipping news, noted Friday that while UN officials are pushing for the initial voyage this week to show progress in the deal, continued uncertainty on key details will likely prevent an immediate ramping-up of shipments. “Until those logistical issues and detailed outlines of safeguarding procedures are disseminated, charters will not be agreed and insurers will not be underwriting shipments,” wrote Bridget Diakun and Richard Meade of Lloyd’s List. They note, however, that UN agencies, such as the World Food Program, have already arranged to charter much of the grain for urgent humanitarian needs. Since the deal was signed a week ago, shipping companies have not rushed in because explosive mines are drifting in the waters, ship owners are assessing the risks and many still have questions over how the agreement will unfold. Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are trying to show action on the deal signed a week ago. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Al Jazeera on Thursday that “the deal has started in practice” and that the first ship leaving Ukraine with grains is expected to depart “very soon.” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed similar optimism in a press briefing, framing the deal as a significant step forward between the warring sides. “This is not just a step being taken to lift the hurdles in front of the export of food. If implemented successfully, it will be a serious confidence-building measure for both sides,” he said. The deal stipulates that Russia and Ukraine will provide “maximum assurances” for ships that brave the journey through the Black Sea to the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. For ships heading to Ukraine’s three ports, smaller Ukrainian pilot boats will guide the vessels through approved corridors. The entire operation will be overseen by a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul staffed by officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations. Once ships reach port, they will be loaded with tens of thousands of tons of grains before departing back to the Bosphorus Strait, where they will be boarded to inspect them for weapons. There will likely be inspections for ships embarking to Ukraine as well.
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in China’s dealings with Taiwan during a phone call with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, that gave no indication of progress on trade, technology or other irritants, including Beijing’s opposition to a top American lawmaker’s possible visit to the island that the mainland claims as its own territory. Xi also warned against splitting the world’s two biggest economies, according to a Chinese government summary of Thursday’s unusually lengthy, three-hour call. Businesspeople and economists warn such a change, brought on by Chinese industrial policy and US curbs on technology exports, might hurt the global economy by slowing innovation and increasing costs. Meanwhile, Xi and Biden are looking at the possibility of meeting in person, according to a US official who declined to be identified further. Xi has been invited to Indonesia in November for a meeting of the Group of 20 major economies, making it a potential location for a face-to-face meeting. The Chinese government gave no indication Xi and Biden discussed possible plans by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan, which the ruling Communist Party says has no right to conduct foreign relations. But Xi rejected “interference by external forces” that might encourage Taiwan to try to make its decades-old de facto independence permanent. The tough language from Xi, who usually tries to appear to be above political disputes and makes blandly positive public comments, suggested Chinese leaders might believe Washington didn’t understand the seriousness of previous warnings about Taiwan. “Resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people,” foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday. “Those who play with fire will perish by it.” Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with a communist victory on the mainland. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars of trade and investment. Both sides say they are one country but disagree over which government is entitled to national leadership. A Ministry of Defense spokesperson said ahead of Thursday’s call that Washington “must not arrange for Pelosi to visit Taiwan.” He said the ruling party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, would take “strong measures to thwart any external interference.” Xi called on the United States to “honor the one-China principle,” according to Zhao, referring to Beijing’s position that the mainland and Taiwan are one country. The United States, by contrast, has a “one-China policy” that says Washington takes no position on the question but wants to see it resolved peacefully. “China’s opposition to to interactions between the United States and Taiwan is clear and consistent,” Zhao said. A foreign ministry summary of the conversation cited Biden as saying the United States doesn’t support independence for Taiwan. Coverage of the conversation in China’s entirely state-controlled media on Friday was limited to repeating government statements. Pelosi has yet to confirm whether she will go to Taiwan, but if she does, the Democrat from California would be the highest-ranking elected American official to visit since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Beijing criticized Gingrich for saying the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack but did little else in response to his three-hour visit to the island. Since then, China’s position on Taiwan has hardened as the mainland economy grew to become second-largest after the United States. The ruling party poured hundreds of billions of dollars into developing fighter jets and other high-tech weapons including “carrier killer” missiles that are thought to be intended to block the US Navy from helping to defend the island. The conflict over a possible Pelosi visit is more sensitive to Beijing in a year when Xi, who took power in 2012, is expected to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as party leader. Xi, who wants to be seen as restoring China’s rightful historic role as a global leader, has promoted a more assertive policy abroad. The People’s Liberation Army has sent growing numbers of fighter planes and bombers to fly near Taiwan in an attempt to intimidate its democratically elected government. The United States has no official relations with Taiwan but has extensive commercial ties and informal political connections. Washington is obliged by federal law to see that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. Xi called for cooperation on reducing the risk of economic recession, coordinating macroeconomic policies, fighting COVID-19 and “de-escalation of regional hot spots,” according to the government statement. He also warned against decoupling, or separating, the US and Chinese economies for strategic reasons. Businesspeople and industry analysts have warned global industries might be split into separate markets with incompatible products due to China’s pressure on its companies to develop their own technology standards and US restrictions on Chinese access to technology that Washington see as a security risk. That might slow innovation and increase costs. “Attempts at decoupling or severing supply chains in defiance of underlying laws would not help boost the US economy,” the statement said. “They would only make the world economy more vulnerable.”
TASHKENT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would soon propose a time for a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which Blinken has said he wants to discuss an exchange of prisoners held in Russian and US jails. Blinken said on Wednesday that Washington had made a “substantial offer” to obtain the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, both detained in Russia. A source said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, jailed in the United States, as part of such a deal. Blinken and Biden have not spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Families of the US detainees have been increasing pressure on President Joe Biden, most recently in the case of two-time Olympic gold medallist Griner, who was arrested on drugs charges at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17. Lavrov told a news conference that talks on prisoner exchanges had been taking place since a summit in Geneva last year where presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden had agreed to nominate officials to look into the issue. He said his ministry was not involved in that, but “nevertheless, I will listen to what he (Blinken) has to say.” Speaking during a trip to Uzbekistan, Lavrov said he would talk to Blinken when he returned to his office. “It’s clear this is unlikely to work out today. But in the coming days we will offer our American colleagues a convenient date,” he said.
KYIV: Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war appear to have been killed in an missile strike on Friday, with Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of carrying out the attack. The incident overshadowed UN-backed efforts to restart grain shipments from Ukraine and ease a looming global hunger crisis stemming from the war, now in its sixth month. Russia’s defense ministry said 40 prisoners were killed and 75 wounded in the attack on the prison in the frontline town of Olenivka, in a part of Donetsk province held by separatists. It accused Kyiv of targeting it with US-made HIMARS rockets, Russian news agencies reported. Ukraine’s armed forces denied carrying out strike and blamed it on Russian forces, saying Russian artillery had targeted the prison. “In this way, the Russian occupiers pursued their criminal goals — to accuse Ukraine of committing ‘war crimes’, as well as to hide the torture of prisoners and executions,” the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said. The Russian defense ministry said the prison housed Ukrainian prisoners of war and that eight prison staff were also wounded. Russian-backed separatist leader Denis Pushilin was quoted as saying there were no foreigners among 193 people held there. Video released by a Russian war correspondent showed Russian-backed military personnel sifting through the burned-out remains of what he said was the prison. The smashed roof of the building was hanging down and the charred remains of bodies could be seen. Separately Ukraine said at least five people had been killed and seven wounded in a Russian missile strike on the southeastern city of Mykolaiv, a river port just off the Black Sea, as Russia fired across frontlines in eastern and southern Ukraine. A missile struck near a public transport stop, regional governor Vitaly Kim said on Telegram. Russia, which denies targeting civilians, did not immediately comment on the situation and Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.
MOSCOW: Eight people died in a blaze in a 15-story building in Moscow overnight, after a fire alarm malfunctioned, officials said Friday. The fire erupted in the building in a southeastern district, an agency investigating criminal acts said, adding that four people were hospitalized. Emergency services said the blaze broke out on the ground floor of the building, adding that the flames were doused soon after midnight and that more than 200 people were evacuated. A senior emergency official told TASS news agency that a fire alarm in a hostel malfunctioned and that the people inside were trapped as all the windows had metal bars. A criminal negligence case has been opened. Russian buildings are regularly struck by fires and gas leaks blamed on poor maintenance, infrastructure or negligence.