NADRA Admits Data of Millions of Citizens Was Breached in Previous Years

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior has been alerted to a serious data breach involving the theft of information belonging to 2.7 million Pakistanis.

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Chairman, Lieutenant General Munir Afsar, briefed the committee, disclosing that six officials, including a Grade 19 officer, were dismissed following an investigation into the breach.

During the meeting, chaired by Raja Khurram Nawaz, Afsar shared that some officials had facilitated the issuance of Pakistani identity cards to Afghan nationals. Committee member Agha Rafiullah voiced concern over accountability, alleging that officials involved in the data theft still held positions within NADRA.

In response, Afsar clarified that those implicated had been dismissed. Afsar also outlined NADRA’s operational challenges, pointing out that 61 tehsils, primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, lack NADRA offices.

Furthermore, he discussed budget constraints, noting that “87% of NADRA’s Rs57 billion budget is allocated to salaries.” He highlighted NADRA’s mobile service, mentioning that the authority has 240 operational vans and plans to acquire 90 more, with 75 equipped with satellite connectivity.

Afsar added that the cost to produce an ID card is Rs1,200, and, for the first time, NADRA will offer ID cards free of charge to citizens.