Several years after Karachi’s administrative boundaries changed, thousands of residents still face difficulties updating district details on their official documents. The issue has created problems for people seeking government jobs, educational admissions and other public services.

Residents say Karachi’s fast-paced lifestyle and lengthy procedures at government offices discourage many people from updating their records. They argue that departments should automatically revise official records after creating new districts instead of requiring citizens to visit multiple offices.

Over the past few years, authorities carved Korangi out of East District and created Keamari from West District. Malir had already become a separate district several years earlier.

Documents Still Carry Old District Names

Residents now need domiciles and Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) showing their current district. They also need to update the district name in the address recorded on their Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).

However, many people still hold documents linked to their former districts. Some remain unaware of the requirement, while others only discover the problem when they apply for a service that requires district verification.

The issue becomes particularly difficult for applicants seeking government jobs and educational admissions. District-based quotas often require matching information across CNICs, domiciles and PRCs.

Residents say daily-wage workers and salaried employees face an even greater burden. They often cannot afford to take several days off work to visit different government offices.

Government Job Applicant Faces Posting Problem

Korangi resident Imran Ahmed recently encountered the issue while applying for a Grade-5 government position.

Ahmed told The Express Tribune that he applied for a peon’s post. After receiving his offer letter, he discovered that authorities had posted him to a school in East District.

He said his domicile and PRC still showed East District even though he now lived in Korangi. Ahmed later approached the Korangi Deputy Commissioner’s Office to seek a solution.

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Keamari Domicile Application Delayed

Abdul Quddus, a resident of Hawks Bay in Keamari District, reported a similar problem while applying for a domicile for his daughter.

Quddus said authorities had issued his own domicile under the former West District. When he submitted his daughter’s documents to the Keamari Deputy Commissioner’s Office, officials sent them to the former West District DC Office for verification.

The process forced Quddus to visit offices in both districts several times before officials could process his daughter’s domicile.

District Changes Affect Medical Admissions

Another resident, Muhammad Amin of Budhni Goth in Keamari District, highlighted difficulties involving medical college admissions.

Amin said Keamari Town previously had 10 MBBS seats at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University. After authorities created Keamari District, they divided those seats among three towns: Mauripur, Baldia and Moriro Mirbahar.

The cases show how administrative changes can create problems when government records do not keep pace with new district boundaries.

Karachi currently has seven districts: East, West, South, Central, Malir, Keamari and Korangi. Consequently, the district recorded on many residents’ CNICs, domiciles and PRCs does not match their current district of residence.

Keamari Deputy Commissioner Abdul Sattar Hakro, however, said the creation of a new district generally does not create problems for ordinary citizens.