ISLAMABAD - After one and half year, the incumbent government has appointed Usman Yousuf Mobeen as new Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NDRA). Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given approval to appointment of Mobeen as NADRA chief on the recommendation of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Wednesday.
The present government had handed over the additional charge of Chairman NADRA to Imtiaz Tajwar after sacking former chairman Tariq Malik in December 2013 and the Ministry had not appointed permanent chairman of the key authority in last 18 months. Imtiaz Tajwar was serving in Interior Ministry as Additional Secretary and later he was promoted in grade 22 and posted as Secretary NAVTAC in November 2014.
Sources of Establishment Division informed that Prime Minster Nawaz Sahrif ordered the Interior Ministry in December to gear up the process of the appointment of Chairman NADRA. On the instruction of PM, the Interior Ministry conducted interviews of candidates for this post and forwarded a three names' summary to the premier. The Interior Ministry advertised the post of Chairman NADRA in mid of last year. After removal of former chairman Tariq Malik, Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan had claimed that the government would appoint new chairman of authority within one month but failed to make sure the appointment of new chairman in accordance with his claim.
According to a senior official of NADRA, the newly appointed chairman was serving in NADRA as chief technology officer and he prepared software of well-known projects of NADRA, including NADRA smart card and Benazir Income Support Card.
Usman Mobeen participated in the international projects' bids and won several foreign projects for NADRA especially Sri Lankan's biometric identification project, he added. Sources informed that the Establishment Division has so far not issued the notification of appointment of new chairman.