Asad Gilani assumes charge as Nadra chairman
Pakistan
Gilani was assigned additional charge after Tariq Malik resigned
ISLAMABAD (Dunay News) - Asad Rehman Gilani, a grade 22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service and currently serving as secretary to the Board of Investment, on Friday assumed additional charge as the new chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
Gilani assumed the additional role, succeeding Tariq Malik, who quit abruptly on June 14.
Nadra took to Twitter saying that new chairman resumed his duties on first day at office. He also directed the officials to deliver their duties wholeheartedly.
— NADRA (@NadraPak) June 16, 2023
In his resignation letter, Malik urged the Prime Minister to appoint a professional and technical person to replace him, rather than a serving or retired bureaucrat. He had also noted that Nadra could not further undergo political experimentation.
It is also said that Gilani's appointment comes amidst pressure on Malik to step down after reports emerged that officials of the authority being involved in the personal data leak.
However, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah denied that the resignation of the Nadra chairman had anything to do with the data leak issue. He asserted that action had already been taken against all individuals involved in the leak.
Some experts criticised the government's handling of the situation and voiced the need for a thorough professional with a background in technology and management instead of a serving bureaucrat to lead the organisation, stating that Nadra cannot afford such crises.
