Saudi Arabian authorities have unveiled a major scam involving 12,000 Pakistani passports in the possession of Afghan nationals.
Following the discovery, there has been a swift and firm response from enforcement agencies. They are now targeting individuals and networks that have been facilitating the issuance of counterfeit citizenship documents. Particularly, the focus is on those aiding Afghan migrants in acquiring these fake papers. Inside sources relayed to Geo News about the Saudi officials briefing the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh.
Ongoing Investigations and Arrests
Mustafa Kazi, the Director General of the Immigration and Passports Directorate, in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency, is leading a thorough investigation into this passport scandal. Progress has been made with the arrest of Umar Javed in Lahore, identified as a primary suspect behind the fake passport operations.
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Additional insights reveal that before Javed’s detention, a former and a currently serving officer from the Passport Directorate were apprehended and questioned. Preliminary findings suggest that these Pakistani passports were allocated to Afghan nationals based on counterfeit identity cards. Kazi, the newly appointed head of his department, is actively coordinating with FIA personnel to bring to justice those involved in the fraudulent passport production.
While the Pakistani representative in Saudi Arabia chose not to comment on this ongoing issue, an anonymous official from the interior ministry assured that the Passports Directorate was fulfilling its duty. In addition to the investigations, a rigorous verification of Nadra’s data is also conducted to ensure such discrepancies are avoided.
