ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has sent a Rs1 billion defamation notice to former employee Syed Muzaffar Ali, who has accused the authority of leaking official data.

The notice states: “Your wrongful acts have exposed our client to public contempt, ridicule, unjust criticism and dislike and the publication thereof has injured and maligned the good name and reputation of our client.”

It has also denied Mr Ali’s claim that the allegedly leaked data would cast doubt over the credibility of the upcoming elections.

Nadra has denied Mr Ali’s accusation that data was leaked to any political party and demanded he provide evidence of this claim.

The authority said it has a limited, designated role in the electoral process and has prepared and handed over electoral rolls as per the requirements to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which includes all registered overseas Pakistanis who are eligible to vote.

In response to another accusation about the inclusion of deceased Pakistanis in voter lists, Nadra said the registration of deaths was a provincial matter carried out by union councils and not the authority.

Nadra said Mr Ali had wrongly accused the authority of devising a grand electoral rigging scheme by not registering death reports.

On June 18, after Mr Ali’s accusations were reported in the media, the ECP wrote to Nadra about an alleged data leak, fearing a potential threat to the computerized electoral rolls system.

On June 19, senior officials denied that any voter data was leaked and announced that data had never been shared with any citizen at any platform.

They maintained that Mr Ali was sacked on corruption charges, and was leveling allegations of leaked data and showing an old email on television that had nothing to do with leaked data.

The defamation notice has also attributed Mr Ali’s accusations to personal motives and interests resulting in unduly bringing the country’s entire electoral process into disrepute.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018