KABUL - A number of registration centers in Kabul have already opened and at least five more will be opened soon, said the e-NIC chief Humayoun Muhtat. Humayoun Muhtat, the chairman of Electronic Identify Cards (e-NIC) on Wednesday said his administration is determined to start the rollout of e-NIC in a month.
He said that e-NIC so far has managed to open at least five registration centers in some parts of Kabul and soon five more centers would be established.
Names of at least fourteen ethnic groups would be included in the system, he said.
“Yesterday we extended the technology agreement and this was one of the main parts of our job,” said Muhtat.
There are dozens of ethnic groups in Afghanistan. But on the basis of the Afghan Constitution, only 14 ethnic groups have been registered with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
e-NIC has recommended these ethnic groups be included in the e-NIC system, said Muhtat.
“14 ethnicities which are registered have been included in our database and they will be written on the e-NIC. We have also recommended that government includes other ethnicities, government and legislative bodies will decide on it,” added Muhtat.
“If other ethnicities are willing, their names can be registered in the e-NIC system; this is their right as citizens of Afghanistan and they should respond positively,” said legal expert Abdul Raziq Qazizada.
e-NIC hit constant deadlocks over recent years because of a controversy over a certain Article in the Constitution. But the issue was later resolved following a presidential legislative decree.
The government later announced the establishment of an e-NIC monitoring committee comprising delegations from the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Ministry of Communications and IT (MoCIT), Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) and the administrative office of the presidential palace. (Tolonews)