FB pixel

Pakistan ID agency chair out after court rules appointment violates constitution

Pakistan ID agency chair out after court rules appointment violates constitution
 

A legal standoff appears to be brewing between Pakistan’s military government and judiciary, after the Lahore High Court ordered the head of the National Database and Registration Authority to be removed from his position, citing violations of agency rules.

Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar was appointed as chairman of NADRA last October, the first serving military officer to hold the post. He was confirmed in the position for a three-year term in March. His appointment came months after the resignation of former Chair Tariq Malik, who cited a “polarized political environment” as the reason for his decision. Asad Rehman Gilani held the chairman post from then until Afsar’s appointment.

A private citizen filed suit, alleging the move is “in violation of the provisions of Nadra Ordinance, 2000,” Dawn reports. The Lahore judge agreed, ruling the appointment was made without the “authority of law.”

The position’s availability was not advertised, and no evaluation of candidate qualification was conducted, according to the ruling. The position must be awarded following a competitive application process to avoid running afoul of Articles 18 and 27 of the Constitution of Pakistan, Justice Asim Hafeez ruled.

The Times of India notes the ruling could be considered a rare setback for the military regime, which often installs its personnel in civilian governance positions.

Unsurprisingly, the federal government has challenged the ruling, with an appeal filed by the Attorney General. Ary News reports that two judges from the Lahore High Court will hear the appeal.

NADRA is currently running a procurement process for 22 million biometric smart cards.

Related Posts

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Securing user trust and safeguarding platforms with biometric identity verification

Verified trust is the new currency: so says a new report from reusable verified identity and screening company Trua, looking…

 

Essex Police reveal impressive accuracy of LFR from Corsight, Digital Barriers

England’s Essex Police have performed 383,356 match attempts with live facial recognition software from Corsight AI and Digital Barriers, with…

 

US and UK refusal to sign Paris declaration shows divergence in AI strategy

The U.S. and the UK have declined to sign the Paris AI summit declaration, which seeks to establish a “human…

 

DHS’s compliance with AI privacy, civil liberties requirements lacking, IG says

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made strides in developing policies and frameworks to govern its AI use, including…

 

Precise Biometrics: quarterlies, annuals, SEC actions

Feb 13, 2025 – Net sales for Precise Biometrics rose 15.7 percent percent from 75.1 million Swedish kronor (approximately US$7 million)…

 

YouTube, Meta lean into age assurance in 2025

In the past twelve months, age assurance for online content – a method for knowing that a user is of…

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

DIGITAL ID for ALL NEWS

Featured Company

ID for ALL FEATURE REPORTS

BIOMETRICS WHITE PAPERS

BIOMETRICS EVENTS

EXPLAINING BIOMETRICS