Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and later the same were withdrawn by the bench after the Chairman NADRA Usman Yusuf Mobeen appeared before the court and apologised for his absence from the proceedings.

A single member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi picked up the contempt of court plea for hearing against the Chairman NADRA Usman Yusuf Mobeen here.

According to details, the warrants were issued for the chairman for not appearing in the court despite repeated orders.

In 2010, the IHC had ordered NADRA to provide police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) access to its biometric system and revenue record. The orders were issued while the court ruled on a petition filed by a lawyer Waqas Malik and former secretary IHC Bar.

Malik had requested the court to bind NADRA to provide access to its biometric system and revenue record. However, NADRA’s administration failed to comply with the IHC’s orders. Later, the petitioner filed a contempt of court plea against NADRA in 2016.

During the proceeding, the petitioner Waqas Malik argued that the court had given a verdict in 2010 but NADRA had failed to comply with the orders. The Commissioner Islamabad was ready to implement the court decision but NADRA was not doing the same, he said.

Following this, Justice Noor-ul-Haq Qureshi ordered the police to produce Mr. Mobeen before the court on March 3.

After the court orders, Chairman NADRA Usman Mobeen appeared before the court along with his counsel and apologised before the court for his non appearance.

He adopted the stance that he couldn’t appear in the court due to some personal engagements and requested the bench to withdraw arrest warrants for him.

Mr. Mobeen assured the bench that he would ensure his presence in the court on the next date of the hearing, on which the court withdrew his arrest warrants and directed him to appear on March 3, to answer on the above matter.

Talking to this scribe, Waqas Malik, the petitioner said that NADRA had given biometrics access to the small cellular companies in minor issues but was unable so far to provide the same facility to the FIA and the police, which led to increase in corruption and forgery etc.

The bio-metric verification facility was available when a citizen moved to a small officer for purchasing mobile SIMs but the same facility was not available in business of property etc. Due to the attitude of NADRA, no land record in Islamabad could be computerised so far, he added, however, saying that the land record in other parts of the country had been computerised.