KABUL - The country's first computerized identity card would be issued to President Hamid Karzai on December 30 before the nationwide distribution begins, the telecommunication minister announced on Tuesday.
A contract for the project was signed between the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology and JTR in December 2010. The first phase of the process was to start eight months after inking of the contract, but the project was delayed.

The project could not commence on schedule because time was needed for capacity building, Telecommunication Minister Eng. Amirzai Sangin told journalists.
The ministry would be responsible for producing computerized identity cards and once they were ready, the Ministry of Interior would start issuing them, he said.

According to the joint report by the two ministries at the meeting of cabinet ministers, the process would kick off on December 30th when the first identity card would be issued to Karzai, he said.
Cabinet ministers would decide on the languages and design of the cards.

The whole project would be implemented in three phases at a total cost of $101 million, he said.
The first phase of the project would start in Kabul and the second phase implemented in 15 provinces within a year, he said, adding the third phase would take about 16 months that would cover 18 provinces.

Sangin said the implementation of the project would help government enhance security across the country as it would have the correct information on citizens and also help identify the exact population of the country.
He said Afghanistan was the first country in the region where electronic identity cards would be issued and these hi-tech cards were free from fraud.

The facility would be implemented before 2014 presidential polls, which would help prevent election frauds and eliminate expenses in printing voters' cards. (Pajhwok)