Daily Times

A day after PTI chairman Imran Khan accused the National Database and Regulatory Authority (NADRA) of leaking its database to the PML-N leadership, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday wrote a letter to the authority over an alleged leak in voters’ database for the upcoming general election 2018.

In its letter, the ECP has addressed NADRA chairman Usman Yousaf Mobin and said that officials handed over the database had allegedly shared it with ‘unrelated persons’.

“Unrelated persons had access to the data regarding voters before it reached ECP,” the letter stated, adding that NADRA ‘has violated its agreement with ECP regarding the confidentiality of data. NADRA was not permitted to share data with anyone per our agreement’.

The ECP has demanded that the NADRA chairman conduct an inquiry against those involved in the alleged data leak.

A day earlier, PTI chairman Imran Khan had accused NADRA of leaking its data to the PML-N to facilitate the party’s election campaign. Khan was reported in the media as announcing to send a petition to the ECP, seeking the NADRA chairman’s removal.

On Sunday, a NADRA spokesperson had termed the allegations baseless and malicious.

According to a statement by the authority, NADRA has a limited scope with regards to the conduct of elections and is assisting the ECP in a technical role. Moreover, NADRA clarified that the authority had not provided any kind of data to any political party.

Published in Daily Times, June 19^th 2018.