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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have launched criminal proceedings against six officials who allegedly gained access to the personal information of Army chief general Asim Mounirsaid a media report on Saturday.
The National Authority for Database and Registration (Nadra), the highest national authority charged with issuing national identity cards and passports by storing citizens’ data, has taken action against its employees after investigations.
An informed source told “Dawn” newspaper that the elements against whose orders the violation occurred, measures were taken against them, and six of Nadira’s employees were dismissed from service due to their illegal contact with the head of the police department. army Record the employee’s family after four separate inquiries.
The investigations were conducted by Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik on December 23, 2022 and March 2, 2023.
A joint investigation by Nadira and a sensitive security agency in December last year discovered that Farooq Ahmed, a junior executive working on a project for the Benazir Income Support Program, was the first person to illegally access the data in question.
The high-level inquiry committee, at the direction of the current chairman, expanded the scope of the investigation through technical analysis of logins, user IDs, system records, and IP addresses that were intact, reflecting the strength of the authority’s database.
This led to the identification of a total of 10 employees who had illegally accessed the army chief’s family records. After a fact-finding investigation, the suspects were questioned and a detailed investigation was opened.
Hence, a charge sheet on charges related to unauthorized and illegal access to COAS family data was later issued to the accused employees on January 6. As a result, the Commission found in two inquiries that six staff members were responsible.
He said that one of the committees imposed a major penalty of termination of service under the Government Employees (Efficiency and Discipline) Regulations of 1973 on these six employees, according to the newspaper.
Separately, in a letter to employees, Malik while talking about other aspects also referred to the incident involving COAS family data and said that six officials from junior executive to director level had been removed from service and criminal cases against them. has been filed.
He urged employees to keep in mind the basic principle that whether it is a private citizen or an important office holder, the confidentiality and security of their data should be a top priority, the report said.
The issue of accessing the details of the army commander’s family members surfaced in the media after his appointment in November last year, but for the first time details of criminal activity and the measures taken by the authorities appeared.
The exact purpose of data access is not yet known. Munir was holding a team position at the time of the alleged data breach, in line to be appointed to the highest position.
Earlier Dawn reported, two Pakistani journalists claimed in a video blog that in October 2022, the personal data and travel records of Gen. Munir’s family were accessed by Nadira officers in a bid to stop his appointment as Chief of Army Staff.
Mounir, a former spy chief, took over as the country’s new army chief late last year and became the army’s 17th chief of staff. He replaced General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retired after two consecutive three-year terms.
The National Authority for Database and Registration (Nadra), the highest national authority charged with issuing national identity cards and passports by storing citizens’ data, has taken action against its employees after investigations.
An informed source told “Dawn” newspaper that the elements against whose orders the violation occurred, measures were taken against them, and six of Nadira’s employees were dismissed from service due to their illegal contact with the head of the police department. army Record the employee’s family after four separate inquiries.
The investigations were conducted by Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik on December 23, 2022 and March 2, 2023.
A joint investigation by Nadira and a sensitive security agency in December last year discovered that Farooq Ahmed, a junior executive working on a project for the Benazir Income Support Program, was the first person to illegally access the data in question.
The high-level inquiry committee, at the direction of the current chairman, expanded the scope of the investigation through technical analysis of logins, user IDs, system records, and IP addresses that were intact, reflecting the strength of the authority’s database.
This led to the identification of a total of 10 employees who had illegally accessed the army chief’s family records. After a fact-finding investigation, the suspects were questioned and a detailed investigation was opened.
Hence, a charge sheet on charges related to unauthorized and illegal access to COAS family data was later issued to the accused employees on January 6. As a result, the Commission found in two inquiries that six staff members were responsible.
He said that one of the committees imposed a major penalty of termination of service under the Government Employees (Efficiency and Discipline) Regulations of 1973 on these six employees, according to the newspaper.
Separately, in a letter to employees, Malik while talking about other aspects also referred to the incident involving COAS family data and said that six officials from junior executive to director level had been removed from service and criminal cases against them. has been filed.
He urged employees to keep in mind the basic principle that whether it is a private citizen or an important office holder, the confidentiality and security of their data should be a top priority, the report said.
The issue of accessing the details of the army commander’s family members surfaced in the media after his appointment in November last year, but for the first time details of criminal activity and the measures taken by the authorities appeared.
The exact purpose of data access is not yet known. Munir was holding a team position at the time of the alleged data breach, in line to be appointed to the highest position.
Earlier Dawn reported, two Pakistani journalists claimed in a video blog that in October 2022, the personal data and travel records of Gen. Munir’s family were accessed by Nadira officers in a bid to stop his appointment as Chief of Army Staff.
Mounir, a former spy chief, took over as the country’s new army chief late last year and became the army’s 17th chief of staff. He replaced General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retired after two consecutive three-year terms.
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