In a sweeping anti-corruption move, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has filed a major graft case against former NADRA chairman Tariq Malik and 12 senior officials, accusing them of massive financial mismanagement in the authority’s smart card project.
The case, launched after a complaint by Transparency International, alleges that the officials manipulated the procurement process, blatantly violated Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PEPRA) rules, and authorized inflated payments to a preferred vendor in the multibillion-rupee smart ID card initiative.
According to the FIR, the tendering process was repeatedly rigged to favour a specific company, leading NADRA to pay prices far above market value — inflicting huge losses on the national exchequer.
FIA sources say the suspects now face charges of criminal misconduct, abuse of authority, and deliberate falsification of official procedures. The scandal is being called one of the gravest to shake NADRA in recent years.