NADRA chairman’s attorney debunks government’s stance

Says Tariq Malik’s appointment was made in line with rules and procedures.

ISLAMABAD: The counsel for National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chief Tariq Malik on Sunday rejected government’s claims that Malik’s appointment as authority’s chairman was ‘illegal’.

“NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik’s appointment was made in line with laid down rules and procedures,” Advocate Babar Sattar said, while talking to The Express Tribune.

He said no government organisation could terminate  the services of an employee of the stature of a chairman without giving due notice and reason for termination.

“It can only be done if the employee commits misconduct. But in NADRA chairman’s case, there has been no misconduct and the government never mentioned it while sacking him,” said Sattar.

He questioned why the government had not mentioned the same reason at the time of issuing termination orders.

“The government took up this point later in its belated stance before the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) in an afterthought, merely to fill the lacuna in illegally dismissing the NADRA chairman,” he added.

Commenting on interior minister’s claim that Malik’s appointment as NADRA chairman had been made in violation of rules, advocate Sattar said Tariq Malik fulfilled the criteria for appointment as set in Section 3 of NADRA Ordinance 2000.

“Malik is one of the very few international biometric experts and has worked diligently with NADRA to transform the identification methods and technology in Pakistan,” he said, adding that he had been declared Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the year by a US multinational.

Sattar said that the government’s strategy was clearly dual. Inside the court it was talking in the legal terms while outside the court it was trying to tarnish Tariq Malik’s image by resorting to ‘character assassination’.

He said he was prepared to give a rejoinder to the government’s reply, which was to be submitted before the IHC. “I will also appear before Supreme Court where the government has challenged the IHC order of suspending Malik’s termination orders,” he added.

In a surprise move, the government had removed Malik on the night of December 3 and appointed a new chairman within hours. However, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had reinstated him the next morning and suspended his termination orders.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2013.