ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at increasing the registration of women across Pakistan. The campaign will operate from March 9 until March 13 of 2026 which will provide women with special registration services for obtaining legal identity documents.
NADRA’s 2025 annual report showed that unregistered status affects a larger percentage of females at both girlhood and adult stages than it does for male and boy children. The authority has made women’s registration a national priority because it has developed multiple programs that will help women obtain their complete civic and legal rights through official identification.
NADRA operates 28 women-only registration centres across the country to increase women’s registration. The percentage of female employees at NADRA has reached over 17% because the organization implemented initiatives to increase women’s presence in its registration staff. The number of women who registered for the first time at the organization increased from 60% during February 2025 to 65% during February 2026 according to positive outcomes from these activities. Similarly, the proportion of women applying for identity cards based on their birth certificates rose from 44% in January 2026 to 56% in February 2026.
A major new development in NADRA’s services allows women over the age of 18, who have not previously registered, to obtain their national ID cards temporarily without a birth certificate. The service requires applicants to fulfil particular eligibility requirements for their application process. The special campaign launched on International Women’s Day aims to encourage more women to take advantage of this opportunity.
The campaign will allocate half of its registration centre counters to women while multiple centres will establish dedicated assistance desks for female applicants.
NADRA urges all citizens, especially men, to take part in the campaign and ensure the registration of all the women in their households. Legal identification provides not only state protection but also enables women to exercise their basic rights, including opening bank accounts, benefiting from social security schemes, voting, and actively participating in the country’s economic activities.
