NADRA officials respond over media reports of data leak of COAS family members

NADRA officials respond over media reports of data leak of COAS family members

ISLAMABAD – The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has released a statement, confirming the theft of data of Pakistan Army chief's family.

According to a report link published in a local publication, NADRA stated that Tariq Malik, the authority's chairman, was away on holiday when it happened.

Yet, it is still unclear why the organization's subordinate staff members were suspended and are still being held accountable for the alleged crime committed by certain high-ups.

NADRA said that under a binding contract that includes a non-disclosure clause, various sectors, including finance, telecommunications, law enforcement agencies, and other government institutions use Nadra's identity verification services for lawful purposes.

However, before General Asim Munir was named Chief of Army Staff (COAS), other users from various sectors had access to his data, and it appears that this was done for questionable reasons.

About the ongoing investigation, NADRA said that its Chairman Tariq Malik's family data was accessed while he was away from Pakistan (on official business) in November 2022.

On December 23, 2022, it had implemented a multi-biometric verification system to further improve the data protection mechanism. This system prevents the fraudulent issuing of mobile sim cards and prevents the use of false fingerprints for illicit purposes.