ISLAMABAD – National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman Tariq Malik has resigned from his office following differences with the federal government and initiation of probe in the alleged corruption case.
Mr Malik, appointed as NADRA chairman during the PTI government tenure, submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday during a meeting at the PM House.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is probing alleged involvement of Mr Tariq Malik in a corruption case.
Abrupt ending of tenure of Tariq Malik as NADRA chairman is not the first such incident. First it happened after 2013 general elections when Mr Malik said that NADRA was capable of doing biometric verification to identify bogus votes polled in different constituencies. His statement came after allegations of rigging by PTI chairman Imran Khan and his moving to the courts. His statement annoyed the PML-N government led by the then PM Nawaz Sharif. He was removed from his office but only to be reinstated by the Islamabad High Court in January 2014. But after getting relief from the court, Mr Malik resigned as NADRA chairman and went abroad citing personal reason, threats and external pressure.
He was again appointed as NADRA chairman by Imran Khan led PTI government. The PML-N government, this time led by PM Shehbaz Sharif, was also not happy and there was pressure on him to resign. On Tuesday, he submitted the resignation while citing his achievements as NADRA chairman and during his stay with prestigious world renowned institutions like the UNDP.
