ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered on Friday a probe against the deputy chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Imtiaz Tajwar, for irregularities allegedly committed by him while serving as acting chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The order was issued by the minister to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) during a Nadra board meeting he chaired.

Mr Tajwar, who was serving as additional secretary with the ministry of interior, was given the additional charge of Nadra after Tariq Malik resigned and Mr Tajwar remained the acting chairman of Nadra for well over a year.

The minister said that it had been found that Mr Tajwar was involved in massive financial irregularities and he blatantly wasted Nadra’s resources.

He ordered the FIA to investigate within one week the matter of a rented building hired for a Nadra office in Islamabad besides renovation which caused serious financial dent to Nadra.

Taking stock of financial and administrative mismanagement in Nadra, the minister, with the consent of the Nadra board, formed two committees comprising senior officials of the ministry and Nadra board members to review the financial and administrative powers of the chairman and senior management of Nadra.

To maintain transparency and quality human resource at senior levels, the minister directed security clearance of all directors general and general managers of Nadra from the Intelligence Bureau and Inter Services Intelligence.

“I am disturbed by the fact that Nadra has taken a rented building for Rs4.5 million per month and has already paid advance rent for 18 months under shady contract clauses,” remarked Mr Khan during the board meeting.

He said that it was sad to know that public money was doled out for just shifting Nadra offices to a location in Islamabad where Nadra had been paying the rent since March 2016 and its staff is yet to move to the new building.

“It is also mind-boggling to look at the renovation cost put in by Nespak and the matter needed immediate investigations by FIA,” the minister said.

He directed the FIA to investigate the matter and submit a report within a week.

Referring to the on-going re-verification drive of CNICs, the minister extended the amnesty scheme for another one month, owing to an impressive response received from aliens returning their Pakistani CNICs.

The meeting was informed that 90.5 million CNICs had so far been re-verified under the ongoing campaign.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2016