ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has approved the appointment of Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar as the chairman of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) for three years.

The appointment of the first-ever serving three-star general as Nadra chairman was initially made by the caretaker government led by prime minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on October 2.

The appointment has now been officially endorsed by the federal government for a three-year term.

Sources told Dawn that a summary moved by the interior ministry has been approved by the federal cabinet through circulation.

The development came days after a report was submitted by a joint investigation team (JIT) to the interior ministry, which claimed that Nadra’s data of 2.7 million citizens had been stolen and sold off between 2019 to 2023.

Data leaks have been an issue for Nadra for years.

According to notices received by some Nadra employees, a JIT was formed on November 13, 2023 to conduct an inquiry into two data leak incidents — in 2017 during the tenure of former chairman Usman Mobin and machine attack incident at Multan on April 28, 2023, reported by then-chairman Tariq Malik to security agencies.

Lt Gen Afsar has extensive experience in IT-related technical development and management within the Pakistan Army.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2024