Thousands of Pakistani passports seized from Afghan nationals

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian authorities have seized 12,000 Pakistani passports from Afghan nationals. This move follows a rigorous crackdown by law enforcement agencies against unscrupulous elements involved in the issuance of counterfeit citizenship documents to illegal migrants in the country, particularly Afghan nationals.

The Saudi authorities promptly notified the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh about the recovery of a substantial number of Pakistani passports from Afghan citizens.

To investigate this alarming situation, the Director General of the Immigration and Passports Directorate, Mustafa Kazi, and the Federal Investigation Agency have initiated a comprehensive inquiry.

As a result of their investigations, the primary suspect, Umar Javed, was apprehended in Lahore for his involvement in producing fake passports.

Javed’s arrest followed the interrogation of a former officer and a serving grade-15 officer of the Passport Directorate.

According to Geo News, sources indicate that these Pakistani passports were issued to Afghan citizens based on counterfeit identity cards. Notably, Kazi, who recently assumed his post, has been collaborating with FIA officials to identify and apprehend those responsible for fabricating these counterfeit passports.

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Earlier, in a related development, Lieutenant General Munir Afsar, Chairman of the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), informed the Senate Committee on Interior about the involvement of some Nadra staff in the issuance of fake Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).

During the committee session addressing concerns about fake CNICs, the availability of citizens’ family data in the black market, and the issuance of multiple SIMs on a single CNIC—all being exploited in illegal activities—General Afsar revealed that action had been taken against 84 officials involved in illicit activities.

He pointed out the absence of specific legislation addressing privacy matters, which sometimes allowed guilty employees to evade punishment. The Senate panel recommended implementing modern measures to effectively tackle these pressing issues.