LAHORE: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 34 Afghan nationals who were attempting to travel abroad using fake passports.
According to reports, the suspects had allegedly entered Pakistan illegally through the Chaman border and were arrested in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Rizwan Shah, the additional director of the investigating agency, stated that a raid on a hostel in Peshawar led to the arrest of two foreign nationals, which subsequently uncovered 32 more Afghan nationals residing there.
During the investigations, it was revealed that the suspects had acquired fake Pakistani identity cards and passports through agents.
Earlier, the FIA nabbed three persons for their alleged involvement in the issuance of fake Pakistani passports to Afghan citizens.
The FIA’s anti-corruption wing arrested these agents in Attock based on information from a previously detained suspect named Dost Mohammad.
The agency reported that these individuals were acting as ‘agents,’ creating fake documents for passport issuance in collusion with officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The arrested suspects are set to be presented in court on Saturday.
Moreover, the FIA has detained 15 suspects, including seven officials from NADRA and the Passport Immigration Department, in connection with the issuance of fake Pakistani passports to Afghan nationals. Among those arrested are three Assistant Directors from Passport Immigration and four NADRA officials.
Local media reports say that four agents and five Afghan nationals were also arrested during the operation. The FIA’s actions were prompted by complaints received from NADRA and the Passport Office regarding the issuance of forged passports.
To date, a total of 16 suspects have been arrested in this case, highlighting the gang’s involvement in the international trafficking of counterfeit Pakistani passports.
