ISLAMABAD: National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Chairman Tariq Malik on Tuesday stepped down from his post.
Malik tendered his resignation in a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM’s House.
The chairman is under investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for alleged involvement in a corruption scandal.
As per reports, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are divided over whether the chairman should stay in office.
This was Malik’s second stint as NADRA chairman, with the first having ended in 2013. The PML-N government had initially removed him from the post, but the court had reinstated him. He later resigned himself, citing pressure and threats.
According to a private Tv channel, Malik’s name has also been added to the no-fly list because of the ongoing investigation against him.
After the “revelation” of alleged corruption in the NADRA contract, the FIA obtained the details of its assets of Malik.
They added that the anti-corruption circle in Islamabad was investigating the assets of the NADRA chief. The FIA summoned Malik on May 19 in investigations pertaining to the award of a “contract to a favoured international company at a high price”.
