Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Why biometric aadhaar and National Population Register (NPR) must be scrapped


To

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Law and Justice
Government of India
New Delhi-1100

Subject- Why biometric aadhaar and National Population Register (NPR) must be scrapped

Sir, 

Although belated let me congratulate you on taking charge as Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Minister of Law and Justice.

This is with reference to the news report (“Aadhaar future at stake, govt seeks meeting with states”, Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, June 17, 2014, Indian Express), a 35 part article series on biometric identification (How biometric IDs can stir 'the Pot' and lead to civil war? -Part XXXV, April 29, 2014, http://www.moneylife.in/author/gopal-krishna.html) and the role of Ram Sewak Sharma, the current Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeiTY), former Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand and former Director General of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).  
I submit that you had rightly raised the issue of the “Sanctity and integrity of the data being collected by the UIDAI”  echoing the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and Shri Arun Jaitley Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence.   
I submit that the scrapping of Group of Ministers (GoM) regarding Issue of Resident Identity Cards to all usual residents of the country of age 18 years and above under the scheme of National Population Register (NPR), Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India related issues and non-renewal of contract of Raghu Raman, CEO of National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) from Indian National Congress led UPA era paves a new path.
I submit that the GoM in question was supposed to examine all aspects relating to the proposal for issuing Resident Identity Cards based on biometric identification to the usual residents of the country keeping in view all relevant issues and finalize its recommendations at an early date. This did not happen.
I submit that as to biometric data collection, Shri Narendra Modi as Chief Minister had written a letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister saying, “…there is no mention of capturing biometrics in the Citizenship Act or Citizenship Rules, 2009”. In the absence of any provision in the Citizenship Act, 1955, or rules for capturing biometrics, it is difficult to appreciate how the capture of biometrics is a statutory requirement. Photography and biometrics is only mentioned in the Manual of Instructions for filling up the NPR household schedule and even in that there is no mention of capturing the iris”.
I submit that Shri Sharma misled Shri Modi by persuading to agree for biometrically profiling for aadhaar despite the fact that Shri Modi was opposed to biometrically profiling for National Population Register (NPR). It is also intriguing as to why was Shri Sharma was made Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeiTY) ahead of the defeat of aadhaar promoters. It is noteworthy that Shri Sharma is former Director General of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and as Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand he implemented aadhaar in contempt of Supreme Court's order.

I submit that it is quite evident that convergence of NPR, UID/Aadhhar and Census was/is meant for tracking citizens forever without learning lessons from countries like China, UK, Australia, France and others who have abandoned such projects on merit. Undertaking a surveillance or identification exercise on all the citizens of India is indeed a matter of concern for legislatures, judiciary, citizens and media wedded to public interest.
I submit that the failure of the previous government to get the National Identification Authority of India Bill passed, the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on Finance on the Bill, irregularities pointed out by in the PSC reports, the orders of the Supreme Court and breach of trust by UIDAI in misleading Indian residents that aadhaar is mandatory but attempting to make it mandatory reveals that the perception about citizens’ insecurity is correct.
I wish to inform you that during his talk at the World Bank in Washington on 24 April 2013, Shri Nandan Nilekani as Chairman, UIDAI explained, "First of all, this is not an ID card project. There is no card. There is a number. It's a virtual number on the cloud, and we don't give a physical card. We do send you a physical letter with your number, which you keep in your pocket, but the real value of this is the number on the cloud". The February 2014 report of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on Cyber Crime, Cyber Security and Right to Privacy reveals how Aadhaar number and NPR number compromise both national security and citizens' sovereignty for good. The database of these numbers is being stored on cloud which is beyond India's jurisdiction. The aadhaar data is admittedly stored on cloud. Government ignored the PSC's apprehensions on the usage of ‘Cloud computing’, the concept of ‘shared platform’ and the risks associated with the usage of Cloud computing in the 5th year of the implementation of Aadhaar disregarding cyber security breaches faced in e-Governance projects.

I submit that Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance headed by Shri Yashwant Sinha in its report submitted to the Parliament on December 13, 2011 recorded what the Philippines Supreme Court has said in this regard:” ……the data may be gathered for gainful and useful government purposes;
but the existence of this vast reservoir of personal information constitutes a covert invitation to misuse, a temptation that may be too great for some of our authorities to resist” while rejecting a similar project. The Committee rejected the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 of the Indian National Congress led Government and took cognizance of the possibility of ‘manipulation of
biometric information.’
I submit that both biometric aaadhaar and NPR are based on the unscientific and questionable assumption that there are parts of human body likes fingerprint, iris, voice etc that does not age, wither and decay with the passage of time. Those who support aadhaar and NPR seem to display unscientific temper by implication.
I submit that the reason for the vehement opposition to 12-digit biometric unique identification (UID)/Aadhaar number project is that it is contrary to the basic structure of the Constitution of India, which provides for a limited government and not an unlimited government. The project is
aimed at creating an unlimited government.
As you are aware for a 21 month period between 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977, the country was put under internal Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution of India, effectively bestowing on Smt Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, the power to rule by decree, suspending elections and civil liberties. This was made legal and it remained so as long as it lasted. The powers given to her virtually had no limits. The human body came under assault as a result of forced vasectomy of thousands of men under the infamous family planning initiative of Shri Sanjay Gandhi.
I submit that like Indira Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister enacted the authoritarian architecture through biometric identification of Indians.
I submit that the contract agreement is applicable to both Planning Commission’s Centralised Identities Data Repository (CIDR) of digit biometric unique identification (UID)/Aadhaar number which is ‘voluntary’ and the ‘mandatory’ National Population Register (NPR) of Ministry of Home
Affairs which is also generating Aadhaar number. Notably, column number 2 in the Aadhaar Enrolment Form on page number 1 and 2 refers to “NPR Number” and “NPR Receipt/TIN Number” and at states “Resident may bring his/her National Population Register Survey slip (if available) and fill up the column” number 2. The databases of both the numbers namely, UID/Aadhaar number and NPR number are being converged “as per approved strategy”.
I submit that there is no confusion as to why such agencies of US, France and China are eager to get hold of the biometric database of Indians. “Biometrics Design Standards for UID Applications” prepared by UIDAI’s Committee on Biometrics states in its recommendations that “Biometrics data are national assets and must be preserved in their original quality.”
I submit that the absolute faith of the previous government in biometric technology was based on a misplaced assumption that are parts of human body that does not age, wither and decay with the passage of time. Basic research on whether or not unique biological characteristics of human
beings is reliable under all circumstances of life is largely conspicuous by its absence in India and even elsewhere.

I submit that a report “Biometric Recognition: Challenges and Opportunities” of the National Research Council, USA published on 24 September 2010 concluded that the current state of biometrics is ‘inherently fallible’. That is also one of the findings of a five-year study. This study was jointly commissioned by the CIA, the US Department of Homeland Security and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency.
I submit that another study titled “Experimental Evidence of a Template Aging Effect in Iris Biometrics” supported by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Biometrics Task Force and the Technical Support Working Group through Army contract has demolished the widely accepted fact that iris biometric systems are not subject to a template aging effect. The study provides evidence of a template aging effect. A “template aging effect” is defined as an increase in the false reject rate with increased elapsed time between the enrollment image and the verification image. The study infers, “We find that a template aging effect does exist. We also consider controlling for factors such as difference in pupil dilation between compared images and the presence of contact lenses, and how these affect template aging, and we use two different algorithms to test our data.”
I wish to share details of a report “Biometrics: The Difference Engine: Dubious security” published by The Economist in its 1 October 2010 issue observed “Biometric identification can even invite violence. A motorist in Germany had a finger chopped off by thieves seeking to steal his exotic car, which used a fingerprint reader instead of a conventional door lock.”
I submit that they who supported Aadhaar and NPR displayed unscientific temper by implication. Dr. M Vijayanunni, Census Commissioner and Registrar General of India underlined on February 2, 2013 why China gave up a similar exercise on Rajya Sabha TV.
It is available on :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpe37lkGDkQ

I submit that the unanimous decision of 17 judges of European Court of Human Rights dated December 4, 2008 ruled against the violation of the right to privacy and family life by biometric profile retention in databanks, they found that the “blanket and indiscriminate nature” of the power of retention of the fingerprints, cellular samples, and DNA profiles of persons suspected but not convicted of offenses, failed to strike a fair balance between competing public and private interests and ruled that the United Kingdom had “overstepped any acceptable margin of appreciation” in this regard. This decision is relevant for UPA Government’s UID, National Population Register (NPR), Human DNA Profiling and voice print through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The decision of the European Court of Human Rights is available at: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2008/1581.html

I submit that in India, NATGRID Chief Executive Officer, Capt Raghu Raman has proposed intervention of commercial czars and creation of private territorial armies in a a document titled "A Nation of Numb People".  It may be noted that ASSOCHAM, representing 3 lakh companies and KPMG, a Swiss consultancy have underlined the ramifications of UID number in their report titled "Homeland Security in India".. Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Annual Report, 2010 claims NATGRID will be started in
2011 after "approval from the competent authority (Union cabinet)". When Hard News, a news magazine asked Nilekani about the relationship of UID/Aadhaar Number, his response was "No comments". The link between aadhaar, NPR and NATGRID was part of the design. Therefore,
Government has taken the right step by deciding not to renew the contract of Raghu Raman, CEO of NATGRID.

I submit that the way census bodies are linking biometric information with identification of human being it seems a permanent Emergency architecture is unfolding where a citizen is transparent before the
all mighty Government so that Government, their servant can remain opaque to safe guard the interests of undemocratic and ungovernable social control technology companies.

I submit that the old maxim, 'If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear' has been given a very public burial. Database State, a report from the United Kingdom states, 'In October 2007, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, lost two discs containing a copy of the entire child benefit database. Suddenly issues of privacy and data security were on the front page of most newspapers and leading the TV news bulletins. The millions of people affected by this data loss, who may have thought they had nothing to hide, were shown that they do have much to fear from the failures of the database state.' No one knows for sure whether it was lost or sold.

Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL) has been pursuing a campaign against the biometric based Unique Identification (UID)/Aadhaar Number, National Population Register (NPR), National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Direct Cash Transfer since 2010. It had appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that rejected the UID Bill on December 13, 2011 in its report to the Parliament. It was an applicant before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which in an order date December 27, 2012 addressed to Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs communicated human rights
concerns regarding UID and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) submitted to it by CFCL. CFCL is an applicant before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Subordinate Legislation regarding “Subordinate Legislation for Biometric Identity Card NRIC and Aadhhar/UID is illegal & illegitimate and Constitutional, Legal, Historical & Technological Reasons Against UID/Aadhaar Scheme on 18.3.2013.”
It may also be noted that Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated efforts to make itself biometric ready by making itself subservient to UIDAI.  The new government should inform ECI about its
decision to scarp aadhaar and NPR at the earliest.
I submit that referring to the illegitimate advances of certain agencies trying to obtain the call records of Shri Arun Jaitley Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs, Defence wrote, “This incident throws up another legitimate fear. We are now entering the era of the Adhaar number. The Government has recently made the existence of the Adhaar number as a condition precedent for undertaking several activities; from registering marriages to execution of property documents. Will those who encroach upon the affairs of others be able to get access to bank accounts and other important details by breaking into the system? If this ever becomes possible the consequences would be far messier.”

I submit that his reading about the adverse implications of the disease called biometric identification syndrome spread by automatic identification and intelligence companies through likes of Shri Nilekani is quite accurate.
I submit that Shri Jaitley’s comprehension is in sync with former intelligence contractor, Shri Edward Snowden’s disclosures. General Keith Alexander, as director of USA’s National Security Agency (NSA) had
instructed information gathering saying, "sniff it all, know it all, collect it all, process it all and exploit it all”. This came to light when Russia Today made available some crucial pieces of information which was edited out NBC News broadcasted interview of Shri Snowden on the night of May 28, 2014. Shri Snowden observed, “The problem with mass surveillance is that we’re piling more hay on a haystack we
already don’t understand.” This is what has been attempted by Shri Nilekani and people like Shri Sam Pitroda through Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations (PIII) who headed it in the rank of a
cabinet minister.
It must be noted that by Notification No. A-43011/02/2009-Adm.1 (Vol II) dated 02.07.2009 appointment of Shri Nilekani as Chairperson of UIDAI in the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister was approved for an initial tenure 5 years. On March 5, 2014, Lok Sabha election dates were announced. On 09.03.2014, Shri Nilekani officially joined Indian National Congress without resigning from the post of Chairman, UIDAI. He wrote a letter to the Prime Minister relinquishing the post of Chairman, UIDAI vide ref.no. Chairman / 34/2013-UIDAI on 13.03.2014 but his resignation as accepted on 18.03.2014 by the ‘competent authority’ in Planning Commission, Government of India vide Notification no. F.6 [2098]/2009-Adm.I, with retrospective effect from March 13, 2014.
I submit that Shri Nilekani has been caught red handed in violation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules 1964. Under Rule 5 of the Rules regarding “Taking part in politics and elections” reads: “No Government servant shall be a member of, or be otherwise associated with, any political party or any organisation which takes part in politics nor shall he take part in, subscribe in aid of, or assist in
any other manner, any political movement or activity.” While implicitly and informally Shri Nilekani functioned as a member of the Indian National Congress from July 2, 2009 but between March 9, 2014
and March 18, 2014, he functioned totally illegally and illegitimately by throwing all norms to the dustbin with impunity so far.
I submit that in his book which was first published in 2008, Shri Nilekani is deeply worried because “zeroing in on a definite identity for each citizen particularly difficult, since each government
department works as a different turf and with different groups of people.” He argues that “Our databases are in these disconnected silos” and states that “NIUs would be databases that amass
information…” which will connect all these “disconnected silos”.
I submit that as Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee announced that India has “voluntarily sought a full-fledged Financial Sector Assessment Programme” from International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the
World Bank in January, 2011. This is similar to the voluntariness displayed in the drafting of Sixth Plan (1980-1985) after secret negotiations with the Bank.
I wish to draw your attention towards a chapter ‘Extended and Specialized Lending,’ in Silent Revolution The International Monetary Fund 1979–1989 by James M. Boughton published by IMF in October 2001,
it is   revealed that Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi “gave the go-ahead to enter into secret negotiations” with IMF, following which on November 25, 1980, Shri R.N. Malhotra, Secretary, Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance “visited the Managing Director at the Fund to signal his country’s interest in obtaining a credit arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) that offered the option of
longer-term credits. The first negotiating mission went to New Delhi in January 1981, led by Tun Thin, Director of the Asian Department.  The then Finance Minister, Shri R. Venkataraman, met with IMF’s
Managing Director in Washington and subsequently signed and submitted the Letter of Intent on September 28, 1981. Following the IMF’s approval for EFF, Indian National Congress led government faced massive criticism for subjecting itself to IMF’s conditionality.
I submit that in an exercise of sophistry, this Congress led government argued that “the EFF arrangement did not impose conditionality at all, because it was fully consistent with the
policies that were already incorporated in the Sixth Five-Year Plan” and after having internalized the conditionality imposed by IMF, Mrs Indira Gandhi informed the Parliament that “the arrangement does not force us to borrow, nor shall we borrow unless it is for the national interest. There is absolutely no question of our accepting any programme which is incompatible with our policy, declared and accepted
by Parliament. It is inconceivable that anybody should think that we would accept assistance from any external agency which dictates terms which are not in consonance with such policies.” This IMF publication unequivocally establishes that Mrs Indira Gandhi lied to the Parliament and misled the nation.

Based on perusal of official documents, I wish to take the opportunity to also submit that biometric aadhaar based Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is being created with an ulterior motive to bring it under the financial sector surveillance program of the IMF, World Bank Group in continuation of the policies pursued since the days of Mrs Indira Gandhi. These policies have made India servile to the dictates of the Bank. GSTN helps the World Bank Group to make deeper inroads and erode the financial sovereignty of the country in complicity with the ministers of the Congress party.   The new
government must reverse this trend in national interest.
I submit that Foreign Policy magazine of the Washington Post Company listed Shri Nilekani, apparently a protégé of Shri Mukherjee as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2010. This was prior to disclosures
about invasion of privacy by intelligence agencies of USA and UK by monitoring emails, web searches, and telephone records. And the disclosures by Wikileaks about the keen interest of US administration
in the aadhaar project. It appears that Shri Nilekani undertook their task by collating biometric data of India. It is admitted his well wishers like the President of World Bank have volunteered his services
to other developing countries as well. This was done in April 2013 at World Bank in Washington.

I submit that in October 2012, in an interview with McKinsey & Company, Shri Nilekani said, “Our goal, our vision, is by 2014 to have at least half a billion people on the system, which will make it one
of the world’s largest online ID infrastructures. So that’s one metric of success. The second is we’d like to see two or three major applications that use this ID infrastructure. One of them is electronic benefit transfer, where governments will pay pensions, scholarships, or whatever entitlements by cash. And the third is [that] the mobile industry will use [the ID infrastructure] for verification”.  He added, “In the US, to me, the two big examples are the Internet, which was originally conceived as a defense project, and GPS. Again, it was a defense project. Both these things, though they began as [part of] a government defense infrastructure, today are the basis for huge innovation.” Shri Nilekani was/is aware that the substratum of the “world’s largest online ID infrastructures” is Internet which is in total control of US Government and US companies.
I wish to inform you that in reply to the RTI application for copies of contracts with foreign companies, UIDAI at last agreed to share the because "contractual obligation in respect of BSP (Biometric Solution
Provider) contracts has expired. Therefore, UIDAI has no objection in sharing the following contract details :- a) Copy of contract of UIDAI with M/s L1 Identity Solutions for Biometric Technology; and
b) Copy of contract of UIDAI with M/s Accenture for Biometric Technology"  After examining these documents I wrote to UIDAI submitting that with regard to the M/s Accenture for Biometric Technology, I noticed that the first 237 pages appear to be in order but after that there is a one pager titled Annexure J Technical Bid Technical Bid as submitted by M/s Accenture Services Pvt Ltd. The Technical Bid document is missing. After that there is a one pager titled Annexure K Commercial Bid as submitted by M/s Accenture Services Pvt Ltd. The Commercial Bid document is missing.
With regard to the M/s L1 Identity Solutions for Biometric Technology, I noticed that the first 236 pages appear to be in order but after that there is a one pager titled Annexure I Non-Disclosure Agreement
as submitted by M/s L1 Identity Solutions Operating Company Private Limited. But this document is missing. After that there is a one pager titled Annexure J Technical Bid as submitted by M/s L1 Identity
Solutions Operating Company Private Limited. The Technical Bid document is missing. After that there is a one pager titled Annexure K Commercial Bid as submitted by M/s L1 Identity Solutions Operating
Company Private Limited. The Commercial Bid document is missing. These very pages were missing from the contract agreement of Ernst and Young as well. Also its pagination was not in order.
I also wrote to CIC responding to their letter dated September 10, 2013 stating that their reasoning for sharing the document due to "contractual obligation in respect of BSP (Biometric Solution
Provider) contracts" having expired is flawed in the light of the previous judgment of Central Information Commission (CIC). Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Public Information Officer (PIO) cannot deny information citing commercial confidence for agreements between a public authority and private party. While giving this judgment, CIC said “The claim of 'commercial confidence' in denying
access to agreements between private parties and the masters of the public authorities—citizens—runs counter to the principles of the Right to Information.
“Any agreement entered into by the government is an agreement deemed to have been entered into on behalf of and in the interest of ‘We the people’. Hence if any citizen wants to know the contents of such an agreement he is in the position of a principal asking his agent to disclose to him the terms of the agreement entered into by the agent on behalf of the principal. No agent can refuse to disclose any such
information to his principal,” the CIC said in its order dated 27 July 2009. An appeal for getting the missing pages has been filed by Col. Mathew Thomas and Qaneez Sukhrani who had filed the RTI applications, the former had asked me to appear on his behalf.
I submit that there is a need to examine the minutes of the admitted meeting between Mongo DB and UIDAI. It was evident from one of the RTI replies that UIDAI had given tasks to some company with whom it had no contract agreement. Its sounds like the R&D Centre of Bhopal which was operated by Union Carbide Corporation without permission based on "recognition"
I urge you to set up an inquiry commission to ascertain whether or not Internet that remains a defense project deeply allied with USA’s National Security Agency (NSA) is structurally linked to biometric
aadhaar, National Population Register (NPR), PIII and GSTN. It is not without reason that Shri Nilekani maintained a deafening silence amidst NSA’s surveillance on Indian ministers and officialdom.  In
such a backdrop, it does not seem strange that PMO under the previous regime has withheld the correspondence it had with Shri Nilekani all through his tenure. The commission must unearth the players who wish to create and function through a fiction of private company with public purpose and profit making as the motive but not profit maximizing called NIU like GSTN.
Kindly allow me to take the opportunity to submit that the Ministry of Defense must order a probe into the circumstances under which Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma who as the Chief of the Naval Staff of Indian Navy, from 31 August 2009 to 31 August 2012 and as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee got himself biometrically profiled on 18 August 2011 for aadhaar number. It must be examined whether he took the permission of Ministry of Defence before subjecting himself to the ignominy of being biometrically profiled. It is noteworthy that in November 2012, Admiral Verma was appointed as the High Commissioner to Canada. The probe must examine whether or not Admiral Verma’s biometric profile is available with Canada’s Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), which is part of the intelligence sharing alliance comprising of US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France. In a seemingly unrelated development, Shri Nilekani was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Canada on 31 May 2011.

I submit that Shri Nilekani was given ID Limelight Award at the global summit on automatic identification ID WORLD International Congress, 2010 in Milan, Italy on November 16, 2010 wherein Safran Morpho
(Safran group) was a key sponsor of the ID Congress. Its subsidiary, Sagem Morpho Security Pvt Ltd has been awarded contract for the purchase of Biometric Authentication Devices on 2 February 2011 by the
UIDAI. Earlier, on 30 July 2010, in a joint press release, it was announced that “the Mahindra Satyam and Morpho led consortium has been selected as one of the key partners to implement and deliver the
Aadhaar program by UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).” This means that at least two contracts have been awarded to the French conglomerate led consortium.  Is it a coincidence that Morpho (Safran group) sponsored the award to chairman, UIDAI and the former got a contract from the latter?

It is noteworthy that Shri Tariq Malik, the then Deputy Chairman of Pakistan’s National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) was given the ID Outstanding Achievement Award on November 3, 2009 in Milan at the eighth ID WORLD International Congress. In an interview, Shri Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks informed Imran Khan, a noted politician from Pakistan about the grave act of omission and commission. Shri Assange said, “…we discovered a cable in 2009 from the Islamabad Embassy. Prime minister Gilani and interior minister Malik went into the (US) embassy and offered to share National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) – and NADRA is the national data and registration agency database. The system is currently connected through passport data but the government of Pakistan is adding voice and facial recognition capability and has installed a pilot biometric system as the Chennai border crossing, where 30,000 to 35,000 people cross each day. This NADRA system is the voting record system for all voters in Pakistan. A front company was set up in the United Kingdom – International Identity Services, which was hired as the consultants for NADRA to squirrel out the NADRA data
for all of Pakistan. What do you think about that? Is that a…? It seems to me that that is a theft of some national treasure of Pakistan, the entire Pakistani database registry of its people.”
It must be noted that NPR is being prepared by Shri C Chandramouli, census commissioner & registrar general of India, is meant to create resident identity cards is exactly like Pakistan’s version of biometric exercise for citizens’ identity card which was completed by NADRA, ministry of interior, Government of Pakistan and their database has been handed over to US Government.
I submit that Dr M Vijayanunni, former Census Commissioner and Registrar General of India underlined had explained reasons for China giving up a similar exercise on Rajya Sabha TV on 2 February 2013.

In view of the above, if previous government’s initiatives including are not reversed and the individuals involved are not held liable and accountable in an exemplary manner for their illegal and illegitimate conduct and creation of questionable institutional entities, it will set a very bad precedent for ever.
I will be happy to share documents and references which have been cited above.

Thanking You
Yours Sincerely
Gopal Krishna
Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL)
Mb: 08227816731, 09818089660
E-mail:gopalkrishna1715@gmail.com
Web: www.toxicswatch.org

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