ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has reportedly sent a request to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for a three-year extension to the tenure of the chairman of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Usman Yousaf Mobin, according to a report by a local media outlet.
Iqbal says that this extension could prove to be ‘crucial for holding free and fair elections.’ The tenure of the current chairman is expiring next year in February, according to the newspaper.
A summary regarding the extension of services was also sent to a cabinet meeting last month, to which the cabinet agreed but directed the authorities to follow standard procedures of reappointment. The interior ministry has also informed the cabinet that NADRA would provide ample support to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding a free, fair election.
The interior ministry, justifying the chairman’s appointment on February 6, 2015, said that Mobin was eligible for a re-appointment for a period of further three years.
The proposal of the interior ministry was backed by the Establishment Division.
