Riyadh: A big development happened as the Saudi government handed over 12,000 Pakistani passports, previously with Afghan nationals, to the embassy.
This was done in response to allegations of identity card and passport issuance to illegal migrants.
The Interior Ministry has set up a committee to investigate this matter, led by DG Passport and immigration Mustafa Jamal Kazi, including senior officials from the ministry, Nadra, and the FIA.
The committee, with a designated directorate officer as its secretary, has a 15-day timeline to propose preventive measures for the future and assign responsibility for the scam to Nadra, FIA, and involved passport officers.
The investigation traces back to Saudi authorities finding 12,000 Pakistani passports with Afghan citizens.
Following this discovery, a crackdown on individuals involved in producing fake citizenship documents, particularly for Afghans, has been initiated by law enforcement agencies.
The Pakistani embassy was informed by Saudi authorities about the recovery of passports, prompting further investigations.
Earlier findings led to the arrest of Umar Javed in Lahore, identified as a main suspect in the production of counterfeit passports.
The investigations had been instigated by the apprehension and interrogation of a former officer and a serving grade-15 officer of the Passport Directorate.
It was revealed that the fake Pakistani passports had been issued to Afghan citizens based on fraudulent identity cards.
Simultaneously, the Nadra Chairman, Lieutenant General Munir Afsar, addressed the Senate Committee on Interior.
He disclosed that some Nadra staff members were involved in issuing fake CNICs. In response, action had been taken, with approximately 84 officials suspended.
However, the chairman expressed the challenge of punitive measures due to the absence of privacy-related legislation.
The Senate panel recommended the implementation of modern measures to address these issues effectively.
