Haji Mohammad Idrees, also known as Abdul Qahir Idris, became the Director General of the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) in mid-September 2024. The NSIA is the principal national agency responsible for overseeing the collection, analysis, and dissemination of official statistics, including the population census. in Afghanistan. Additionally, it is the primary entity responsible for issuing national electronic identity cards (e-IDs). Currently, the NSIA operates approximately 68 centers nationwide, comprising 53 centers in provinces and 15 in Kabul.
Before assuming this role, Haji Idrees served as the Deputy Minister for Customs at the Ministry of Finance from May 2023. Prior to that, he held positions as Deputy Minister of Energy and Water (March to May 2023) and acting Governor of Afghanistan’s Central Bank (October 2021 to March 2023). He is recognized as a seasoned member of the Taliban's Finance Commission.
As of August 2023, the NSIA has reported the issuance of 4.6 million e-tazkiras (e-ID cards) since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. This brings the cumulative figure to 10.7 million e-IDs issued to date, encompassing both the current and previous governments and constituting nearly one-third of Afghanistan's total population.
