Personal data of 2.7m Pakistanis ‘stolen’ from Nadra record

In a startling development and a serious breach of data, a joint investigation team has confirmed that the personal information of 2.7 million Pakistanis was stolen from the database of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), Geo News reported Tuesday, citing sources.

The JIT unearthed the scandal in its report submitted to the Ministry of Interior, stating that the data theft took place between 2019 and 2023.

Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) official Syed Waqaruddin headed the JIT, which comprised representatives of sensitive agencies and Nadra’s nominees.

According to the sources, the body has completed investigations into the enormous scandal of an alleged breach of Nadra’s database and the officials concerned at the ministry are reviewing the contents of the report compiled by the panel.

The JIT report, the sources said, has identified that the data theft took place from the Multan, Karachi, and Peshawar offices of Nadra.

It has also recommended action against the relevant senior officials of the authority whose negligence led to this massive data theft.

The stolen data was allegedly moved from Multan to Peshawar before it finally reached Dubai, the sources said.

The JIT report has said there is proof that the stolen Nadra data was apparently later sold in Argentina and Romania.

The government formed the JIT after a cyber security incident that took place in March 2023.

Earlier, the issue of data security came to light when some information about senior military officials was leaked and the matter was highlighted in the media.