Tech Desk 
Jan 12, 2026
An undated image of Pakistan's digital ID card. — NADRA
In a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom, Ministry of Interior representatives on Monday stated that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has strengthened its data security to protect citizens' information.
To improve the security of the system, the recently appointed Nadra Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar has added more security features.
Senator Afnan Ullah Khan, however, expressed worries about the sale of Pakistani citizens' personal information on the dark web.
He emphasised that since the harm has already been done, firing officials connected to previous data leaks is insufficient.
Afnan Ullah stated: "Dismissing officials is not enough because the damage has already been done," and called for independent audits to evaluate Nadra's data security.
Nadra chairman was instructed to provide a briefing on data protection measures to the committee at the subsequent meeting.
Foreigners had been mistakenly added to Pakistani citizens' family trees, according to Nadra officials, but up to 80% of these entries have been deleted. These foreigners are currently being kicked out of Pakistan.
Self-enumeration is used to gather data, and the officials emphasised the significance of knowing who resides in Islamabad.
The senator mentioned that additional steps must be taken to guarantee data security despite the dismissal of 15 officers due to previous data leak incidents.
Sensitive information, including addresses and national ID numbers, has been reportedly sold online by Pakistani citizens in recent months.
