ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar on Monday became the first serving military officer to be appointed chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

“In exercise of powers conferred under section 3 (3) of the National Database and Registration Authority Ordinance 2000, read with Rule 7A of Nadra (Appointment and Emoluments of Chairman and Members) Rules, 2020, the federal government has been pleased to appoint Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar as Chairman Nadra in terms of Section 3 (5) of Nadra Ordinance, 2000, with immediate effect and until further orders,” said a notification issued by the interior ministry.

It says terms and conditions of his appointment, including emoluments, will be determined separately.

Lt Gen Afsar achieved the three-star rank in October last year. His career has been marked by substantial experience in IT-related technical development and management within Pakistan Army, as well as his service with Pakistan’s mission at the United Nations.

He has been awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz (military) for his outstanding contributions. He holds an MPhil in Public Policy and National Security Management, and during the 2010 floods, he authored a research paper on public policy response within the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) department.

The newly-appointed Nadra chairman completed his MS in GIS and remote sensing and received recognition through a presidential award for his paper on rapid geospatial data generation via photometry.

Additionally, he holds an MS in National Resource Strategy and specialises in C&IT Industry and Supply Chain Management from NDU Washington. Currently, Lt Gen Afsar is pursuing his PhD in Remote Sensing at NUST Islamabad, which focuses on the detection of plant diseases through the innovative integration of remote sensing and artificial intelligence. His comprehensive contributions to the field have led to several research publications encompassing various aspects of IT and GIS.

In terms of his IT-related experience, he served as a Military GIS Officer at the UN.

Following his promotion to the rank of lieutenant general, he continued his service as the Inspector General of Communication and IT, and later as the Commander of Pakistan Army Cyber Command.

The position of Nadra chairman fell vacant in June following the resignation by Tariq Malik. Asad Rehman Gilani, a grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service and Board of Investment secretary, was given the additional charge of Nadra head till the appointment of a regular chairman.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023