Pakistan’s National Database Regulatory Authority launched the country’s new Smart National Identity Card. It held the launch at the eighth symposium of International Civil Aviation Organization on identity documents, biometrics and security standards.

The new credentials comply with ICAO standard 9303 part 3 volume 1 and ISO 7816-4, and the government agency hopes that the cards will be accepted as secondary ID along with machine-readable passports at major international airports.

The Smart National Identity Card contains 36 security features. The Pakistani government has invested Rs 200 billion in developing smart card IDs with biometric verification for use in humanitarian assistance and financial inclusion programs. It also plans to roll out e-Government services such as insurance, pension disbursement and e-voting, with the cards.

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