Asad Rehman Gilani has assumed the charge of chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The authority made the announcement in a tweet on Friday. Gilani visited different departments on his first day at work and instructed the employees to perform their duties “efficiently” while ensuring uninterrupted services to the public.

He said that he would visit the Nadra regional head offices to review operational activities and directed the heads of all Nadra departments to clear the backlog of ID card printing by continuing to work over the weekend, Nadra added.

Gilani is an officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service. He joined the civil service in 1996 and boasts 27 years of experience. He is currently serving as the Federal Secretary for the Board of Investment.

Gilani joined the authority after his predecessor Tariq Malik stepped down on June 14 from his post, citing a ‘charged and polarised political environment’ after his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“While it has been an absolute honour to lead NADRA, to have connected with so many wonderful individuals and institutions, and to have learnt so much, I find it increasingly difficult to work in a charged and polarised political environment,” he said in his resignation letter.

Malik arrived at the PM’s House to meet Shehbaz, where he tendered his resignation as Nadra chief. The chairman is under investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency for alleged involvement in a corruption scandal, according to sources.

“It is difficult for any professional to maintain his integrity and independence in an environment that constantly pigeon-holes people in an ‘us versus them’ logic and where political loyalty is privileged over competence,” the letter said.

This was Malik’s second stint as Nadra chairman, the first having ended in 2013. The N-league government had initially removed him from the post but he was reinstated by the court. He later resigned himself because of “pressure and threats”.