Life in Pakistan without a digital ID - Coda Story

In a nation where biometric identification permeates almost every aspect of life, thousands of people have had their ID cards suddenly blocked, rendering them essentially stateless. Here are some of their stories
Karachi
Sophia-Layla Afsar, 35, has been embroiled in disputes with Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for most of her adult life. When she first applied for a computerized national identity card (CNIC), as an 18-year-old Pakistani living in Saudi Arabia, it was delayed for years. When she finally got her hands on it, her name was misspelt. Years later, a NADRA official alleged that there were two cards issued under her name and tried to get her to sign an affidavit admitting fraud.
Afsar is trans. Her frustration with NADRA escalated this summer when she went back to have her gender changed in the system. Pakistani law allows for self-identification, and trans or non-binary people can have ID cards that say “X” instead of “M” or “F.”
“They tried every excuse in the world to turn me away,” said Afsar. “They tried to ask for my medical certificate, which they’re legally not allowed to do. They asked intrusive questions.”
Afsar had travelled to her local NADRA office with an activist friend who has helped other trans women through the process. “She argued with the supervisor for an hour,” she recalled. “When we were finally allowed to proceed, the data operator had no idea how to process the gender change request. First, they made me...

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