The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Transport Department is investigating allegations of fake Pakistani driving licenses being used to obtain licenses in Hong Kong and Australia. This investigation was prompted by letters from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Foreign Office.
A senior transport official stated that the three-member committee will investigate the matter and present its findings to NAB. The issue came to light when Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) requested help from NAB. In a letter dated Jan 19, the ICAC revealed that 89 Pakistani applicants had obtained Hong Kong driving licenses using fake Pakistani licenses and false verification letters.
The letter suggested that an unidentified staff member at the Pakistani consulate in Hong Kong might have accepted bribes from Pakistani applicants through a middleman to issue verification letters. However, no consulate officer was found involved, but the submitted licenses and verification letters were fake.
ICAC’s chief liaison officer Wing-yin Gary requested NAB’s chairman to identify an officer from the KP transport department for an interview with an ICAC officer. Following this, the chairman asked the transport secretary on Jan 5 to confirm the authenticity of the Pakistani driving licenses.
The Foreign Office also urged the KP government to investigate the issuance of dubious driving licenses, which have been used in Australia to obtain local licenses. It called for stronger oversight and a thorough review of the licensing procedures to identify gaps.
In a letter to the provincial chief secretary, a Foreign Office director noted that Australia had reported multiple cases of dubious driving licenses issued by some countries, leading to their revocation and the cancellation of the holder’s nationalities. The Pakistani High Commission and consulates in Australia processed verification requests from Pakistani nationals for their KP-issued licenses, many of whom were not residents of KP.
The Foreign Office pointed out that the official communication format lacked authenticity, as responses were sent from a Gmail account without the relevant officer’s signature. It also highlighted the issuance of several driving licenses to underage individuals and a case where a female applicant’s license, showing Lahore as the place of issuance, was counterfeit.
Furthermore, the Foreign Office noted that many Pakistanis applying for driving licenses in Australia were obtaining their first-ever licenses without being physically present in Pakistan. He recommended that the transport department enhance the security features of driving licenses by adding biometric identification or unique QR codes to prevent counterfeiting and improve security.
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