Tariq Malik

Tariq Malik, currently working as Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is former CHAIRMAN of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Pakistan. As a Senior Technical Consultant at World Bank he helped to initiate the worldwide ‘ID for Development’ (#ID4D) Program as well as authored the framework of international standards for digital identity. Malik spearheaded an international team to author feasibility study underpinning ONE Person ONE IDENTITY ONE VOTE for Somalia published by World Bank. Malik helped governments to optimize use of Big Data and advanced data analytics from the platform of Teradata Inc. USA, prior to joining World Bank.

As CHAIRMAN NADRA, he confirmed that the oppositions demand to verify that the 2013 elections were free and fair, is possible through thumb impression verification using the Biometric System. He was then terminated from his position without any reason by Nawaz Sharif government. However, he was immediately restored as NADRA CHAIRMAN by the Islamabad High Court. In its judgement, the Superior court of Pakistan instead issued a charge sheet against the government for intimidating, harassing and frighting him.

Some writers and analysts called this blatant act of government as e-bulling.

He then resigned afterwards, alleging extreme pressure from the government and unknown party workers who threatened to kidnap him and his family.

Malik worked on a multi-biometric system resulting in registration of more than 121 million citizens along their associated biometric attributes. CNN called him ‘Man on mission’ when he identified 3.5 million tax evaders in Pakistan using ‘Data Analytics’ coupled with biometrics. Tariq lead similar projects in USA, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Russia, Malawi, Tanzania and Somalia . He helped various institutions of United Nations (UNHCR, ICAO, UNDP) and World Bank (Poverty Score Card, BISP, Disaster Management) to accomplish goals with transparency. Prior to that he served as Deputy CIO in Wayne County, State of Michigan, where he led design, development and implementation of an online Property Tax System. Throughout his career, Tariq has helped governments to improve service delivery using innovative technologies. Result-based achievements earned him various national and international awards. State of Pakistan conferred highest award in Technology – the ‘Star of Excellence’ – to Tariq in 2013 for using technology to improve governance. Malik won Teradata’s 2012 national ‘CIO of the Year’ award and was recognized at the 2009 ID World International Congress in Italy as the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ for his work as an international biometrics leader. Tariq holds Master’s Degrees in both International Management (Heidelberg, Germany) and Computer Science (Islamabad, Pakistan). His Bachelor’s Degree is in Mathematics and statistics. He was trained at the JFK School of Government, Harvard University and Stanford University. Malik’s articles are published in publications like Forbes.