Lt-Gen Munir Afsar appointed NADRA chairman

ISLAMABAD: Lieutenant General Munir Afsar has been named the new Chairman of National Database and Regulatory Authority (NADRA), as disclosed by senior journalist Azaz Syed on his Twitter account.

Afsar, currently serving as the IG Communication and IT at GHQ, hails from the 16 Punjab Regiment.

Journalist Azaz Syed broke the information yestreday evening albeit the official notification was issued on Monday evening.

Previously, Asad Rehman had assumed the role of acting Chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) following the resignation of Tariq Malik on June 13.

Tariq Malik resigns as NADRA chairman

Lt-Gen Munir is an fficer with extensive military IT expertise. A highly experienced military officer, he has made significant contributions to various domains, including international missions and geospatial information systems.

Lt-Gen Munir has served in the United Nations missions and is skilled in geospatial information systems and remote sensing.

Notably, in the aftermath of the 2010 floods, he conducted research and authored a research paper on public policy response under the purview of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) where he has served as Director General Technology (DC Tech).

It is worth noting that the NADRA Ordinance explicitly stipulates that only an independent individual can be appointed to this position. However, in August, the interim federal cabinet approved contentious regulations which now permits military personnel to be appointed as the head of the institution.