Exclusive Inside Pakistan’s Data Breach Scandal – JIT Findings Revealed
On Tuesday, a team called the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) reported to the interior ministry about a problem with citizens’ information at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
Because of instructions from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the interior ministry needs to check what happened with the leaked data. They will work together with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and Military Intelligence.
The report said that from 2019 to 2023, data from 27 million Pakistanis was stolen. People from Nadra offices in Multan, Peshawar, and Karachi were part of this.
The JIT found out that the stolen data went from Multan to Peshawar and then to Dubai. It was then sold in countries like Argentina and Romania.
The report suggests punishing some senior Nadra officers who were involved in the data breach.
The JIT was led by the FIA Director of Cybercrime. It was made to check a cyber*attack in March 2023 when someone got into the system and took people’s information, including from military officials.
After the investigation, the JIT told the then-caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar what they found. He told NADRA to do what the report said.
The report wants to make sure people’s information is safe. It talks about making new rules and using better technology. They are already starting to do what the Prime Minister said.
