No legal flaw in appointment of Nadra chairman: IHC

ISLAMABAD: In its detailed verdict issued on Friday, the Islamabad High Court dismissing a petition filed against the appointment of Usman Mobin as chairman Nadra ruled: “There is no legal flaw in the appointment of the chairman Nadra nor it can be said that the incumbent did not fulfill the eligibility requirements as provided in Section 3 (7) of the Nadra Ordinance or the advertisement.”

The court said there is no prioritization or mala fide on the part of the federal government as observed. Regarding the marking procedure and fixation of maximum age as 55 years, the verdict concluded: “The assertion by the petitioner that this was due to mala fide on the part of the federal government to patronize and accommodate the incumbent is not evident from the record.” In the appointment procedure of the chairman Nadra, the high court contended that the original criteria used in the old advertisement was followed and a sub-committee made the scrutiny.

In the verdict, the federal government was directed to hold an inquiry into the matter that its internal record or confidential documents do not end up in the hands of persons who are not authorized to have access to the files. The court ruled that the petitions are without merit and are dismissed.

After the appointment of Usman Mobin as chairman Nadra, miscellaneous petitions were filed in different courts. All applications were identical and photocopied with same paragraphs. It is pertinent to mention here that Usman Mobin studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and having a master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computers Science with a cumulative GPA of 5.0/5.

He served NADRA as chief technology officer (CTO) for 13 years. He has been an architect of many complicated national and international IT projects which have turned around not only Nadra but also revolutionized the functioning of many other organizations. Recognizing his services in the field of IT, Usman has been awarded numerous awards including Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in Public Service by the president of Pakistan in 2008.