FIA Arrests Travel Agents Involved in Fake Passport Scandal

The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) in Peshawar has apprehended three individuals accused of facilitating Afghan nationals with Pakistani passports, as per ARY News.

Reportedly, the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle conducted the operation, arresting Rahmatullah, Tariq Javed, and Abu Bakar. Allegedly part of a human smuggling network, these suspects purportedly provided Pakistani passports to Afghan nationals in exchange for substantial sums of money.

The FIA is currently interrogating the detainees and conducting further raids to apprehend other network members. Earlier, additional officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) were identified for allegedly issuing Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) to Afghan nationals.

The FIA’s investigation is nearing completion, having identified responsible officials involved in the issuance of Pakistani ID cards to Afghan citizens in exchange for bribes, with the complicity of Pakistani families. The probe was initiated following the arrest of Majidullah, an Afghan national attempting to acquire a Pakistani passport fraudulently.

The FIA has already gathered statements from relevant NADRA personnel and is poised to take legal action against the accused. Further arrests are anticipated as the investigation progresses.