The Former Chairman of NADRA has said he was disappointed that his second tenure was preoccupied with establishing reform in the organisation, rather than continuing to advance PDI to serve citizens and service delivery.
NADRA’s path has shown both the potential benefits that can be gained from the innovative deployment of DPI and the political limitations to its use in certain critical applications.
Tariq Malik previously chaired NADRA from 2012–2014, before occupying the role from June 2021 until his resignation in June 2023 after difficulty working in an increasingly “polarised political environment”.
He said his life was threatened and the ruling party put pressure on his position following NADRA’s database and technology being used to investigate vote-rigging complaints in election tribunals.
He established a foundational digital ID system in his earlier term, leading the transformation of national digital public infrastructure (DPI) to advance “inclusive development, governance and service delivery”.
Now, he claimed the organisation to him had degenerated from “financially self-reliant that made a profit” into a “loss-making organisation”.
With outdated systems and overflowing data servers, he described the digression of data security and innovation to allow technology to broaden service delivery, financial inclusion, enhance electoral integrity, mitigate biometric failures, and create other efficiencies in government.
“While my first stint in NADRA was more of laying the foundation of Digital ID, my second two-year tenure was about rescuing NADRA, and reigniting its spark”. Technology seemed to threaten hierarchy over power structures rather than the contribution of DPI being seen as a benefit for society, including digital identification (ID) systems.
His other focus in his first term was on citizen-centric inclusive digital transformation in Pakistan, which if invested well enables “data-informed policy”.
To improve the efficiency of National Registration Centers, data analytics was optimised to conduct real-time monitoring. From multiple applications of digital public infrastructure, he had led the development of its Digital Stack to empower service provision and citizens.
Political constraints significantly undermined NADRA’s governance and overall effectiveness, according to Malik. The organisation had operated without the backing of strong multi-stakeholder coalitions or the legal safeguards needed to protect its independence. Reforms aimed at reducing transaction costs and delivering broad, system-wide benefits faced less resistance, but those perceived as threatening the interests of elites triggered coordinated pushback.
The use of NADRA’s biometric systems to uncover irregularities and vote-rigging in elections provoked political pressure and personal threats against its leadership. Despite = requests from the UNDP to improve governance through digital interventions, a lack of political will and investment had left NADRA struggling to modernise and fully harness digital public infrastructure for efficient service delivery.
In his essay, Malik reflects on his time at NADRA, focusing first on efforts to “improve NADRA’s functioning, including its governance, technical capacity, and commitment to inclusion, and turning next to the application of NADRA’s technology to improve the services delivery and improve lives in Pakistan”. He made a digital maturity assessment of the country throughout his tenures.
Malik built back citizen engagement, key to building accountability in service delivery.
NADRA began to repair the trust deficit – on a rocky path to reforming Pakistan’s governance and technical capacity – by engaging with citizens and taking accountability to support DPI again.
“Investing in Public engagement tools can establish fact-based relations with the public and reduce a trust deficit between state and people”.
NADRA also introduced a range of citizen-centric reforms to strengthen governance, improve technical capacity, and build public trust. Key initiatives included a centralised complaint management system and real-time monitoring of registration centers, which improved service quality and reduced corruption. Tools like the Rahbar app and Pak-ID mobile app empowered citizens with real-time information, remote registration, and biometric services via smartphones.
Inclusivity efforts saw millions of women, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and transgender individuals registered, achieving 97% adult coverage. Innovations such as the AI-powered Tasdeeq Service provided secure alternatives to fingerprint verification, while the “Ijazat Aap Ki” consent system enhanced data privacy. NADRA also modernised services like visa applications. These advances, supported by a strategic digital transformation roadmap, positioned NADRA as a model for using digital public infrastructure to improve service delivery.
NADRA’s experience shows both the potential benefits that can be gained from the innovative deployment of DPI and the political limitations to its use in certain critical applications.
