NADRA Dismisses Director General Zulfiqar Ahmed Over Forged Degrees!

 

Investigations Expose Academic Fraud; HEC and Court Decisions Lead to Termination

Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has terminated Director General Zulfiqar Ahmed after investigations confirmed his academic credentials were falsified.

A probe initiated by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) at NADRA's request revealed discrepancies in Ahmed’s degrees, Express News reported. His MBA degree carried the signature of an individual who was not the president of George Mason University at the time, while his BBA certificate mentioned a college name that had already been changed when the degree was issued.

“The HEC findings corroborated the evidence provided by NADRA,” disclosed a source familiar with the inquiry.

The Islamabad High Court upheld the HEC’s decision to revoke the equivalence of Ahmed’s degrees. Subsequently, NADRA issued a show-cause notice to Ahmed, who failed to produce a satisfactory explanation.

In light of the court’s verdict and Ahmed’s inability to counter the allegations, NADRA’s chairman proceeded with disciplinary measures, culminating in his dismissal.

NADRA Blocks Over 71,000 CNICs in Five Years
Regions with the Most Affected Citizens Revealed

In a related development, NADRA disclosed that it has blocked 71,459 Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) across Pakistan over the past five years.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa accounted for the highest number of blocked CNICs at 25,981, followed by Balochistan with 20,583. Punjab recorded 13,564 blocked cards, while Sindh had the lowest among major provinces, with 9,677 CNICs affected.

Other regions impacted include Islamabad (1,370), Gilgit-Baltistan (228), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (446), according to Express News.

Out of the blocked cards, 44,460 were later unblocked following verification, while investigations into 13,618 cases remain ongoing.

The government has also emphasized the necessity of legal reforms to address issues related to blocked CNICs. In response, the Sindh government has formally called for amendments to the Citizenship Act to mitigate the challenges faced by citizens during the verification process.