CHIEF Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has formally inaugurated the “Punjab Police Pakistan App”, enabling citizens to report the loss of essential documents from the comfort of their homes. Through this app, citizens can register reports for lost identity cards, passports, driving licences and other important documents without visiting a police station or service centre. Upon submission, the loss report will also be delivered to the applicant at home.
It is a matter of satisfaction that Punjab already has numerous online facilities for the general public and this one is yet another addition to them. On the face of it, this seems to be a routine app but it has the potential to ease the lives of the citizens by giving them an option to access, on line, frequently required documents. This will obviate the need to visit police stations personally where rude behavior of officials and demands for palm-greasing create problems for the visitors. The app, which integrates with Nadra’s PakID for verification and features a new user interface (UI), allows citizens to report lost documents (FIR), track FIR status and access services like character certificates and tenant registration directly from home. Lodging of FIR for lost documents, character certificates and tenant registration have become necessities but citizens were reluctant to avail these services because of the element of harassment at police stations. The online access, on the one hand, will improve compliance of the requirements like tenant registration, which assumes relevance in view of the prevailing security environment and on the other hand, promote good governance. Importantly, the app has features like live chat with fifteen agents and tools for the safety of women. It is expected that the app will yield intended benefits for citizens and they will not be teased by delaying issuance and delivery of the required documents.
