The federal cabinet officially sanctioned the appointment of Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar as Chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for a complete three-year term on Friday.
This decision follows the appointment of the first-ever serving three-star general as the chairman of the citizens’ national register by the caretaker government on October 2 last year, until further orders. The government has now ratified Lt Gen Afsar’s appointment for three years based on a summary presented by the Ministry of Interior.
Lt Gen Afsar brings extensive experience in IT-related technical development and management within the Pakistan Army, alongside his service with Pakistan’s Mission in the United Nations (UN). He holds an MPhil in Public Policy and National Security Management. Notably, during the 2010 floods, he authored a research paper on public policy responses within the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) sector.
Additionally, the NADRA chief has completed his MS in GIS and remote sensing, and holds an MS in National Resource Strategy with a specialization in C&IT Industry and Supply Chain Management from NDU Washington, DC.
NADRA has recently been under scrutiny following a report submitted by a Joint Task Force (JIT) to the interior ministry, which alleged that data of 2.7 million citizens had been stolen and sold.