ISLAMABAD: Top hierarchy of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has come under scrutiny from the Interior Ministry for lavishing excessive salaries and bonuses on itself without following rules. According to Interior Ministry sources, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is concerned about non-transparency in financial and administrative affairs of NADRA.

During his first visit to NADRA last week, the Minister raised the issue of excessive raise in salaries of high level officers and called for a review.

The minister wants NADRA top hierarchy to stop heaping excessive bonuses on itself in absence of any rules.

The Minister pointed out that NADRA is using 71 percent of its financial resources on paying salaries.

The Minister has asked for a performance review of NADRA to ascertain productivity of its employees.

There maybe downgrade of some of the posts in the organization as the minister has taken notice about the long line of Director Generals in NADRA.

The sources said NADRA is already undergoing a government audit and was being asked to fully cooperate with the auditors.

The Minister has instructed the registration authority employees to get the records straight and resist from manipulation of sensitive data for monetary or other benefits.

“Lack of transparency and distortion of record at anybody’s behest or pressure is unacceptable,” he told the officials.

NADRA became a recruiting agency during the tenure of the previous government as it hired 8000 persons.

Matter did not stop here as despite ban on jobs by the PML-N government, hundreds got jobs in NADRA without any advertisement and Interior Ministry had no information about it.
The minister also directed ban on entry of foreigners in NADRA offices and their interaction with the authority’s personnel without permission.

The intelligence agencies want the Interior Ministry to get security clearance for those officials of NADRA, who are working without it.

The federal government recently reconstituted the NADRA Board to look after its affairs as its previous chairman made an exit.

Additional Secretary Imtiaz Tajwar is chairman of the board. While its other members are Hamid Ali Khan, ex-officio, Additional Secretary, Kazim Niaz, ex-officio, Secretary Government of Balochistan, Local Government Department, Dr. Jawaid A Ghani, Professor of Strategy and Marketing Research, KSBL, Navaid H. Malik, Adept Private Ltd and Fareed Ahmed Khan, Senior Executive, Banking and Financial Services.

(APP)