Fake CNICs: Two suspects sent to jail on remand

Investigation under way to arrest NADRA officials who issued CNICs

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate on Saturday sent two persons, who had been arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for allegedly possessing fake computerised national identity cards (CNICs), to jail on judicial remand.

Jahangir Khan and Qaim Din Safi, the suspects, were arrested by the anti-corruption circle of the FIA on September 11 and were remanded into the agency’s custody for five days on 12th.

FIA officials produced the suspects before Judicial Magistrate Abdul Ghafoor Kakar on Saturday and requested further four-day physical remand of the suspects.

Sub-inspector Muhammad Qamar Abbas, investigation officer for the case, told the court that the agency was investigating the suspects to identify and arrest the officials of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) who were involved in issuing the CNICs.

He said that they were yet to obtain record from the NADRA.

Abbas said that to reach and arrest the real culprits and other suspects, the agency needed to investigate the two arrested suspects and thus requested a four-day extension in their physical remand.

Jawad Malik and Naveed Qureshi, counsels for the suspects, maintained that the CNICs their clients possessed were issued by the NADRA.

They said that no NADRA official had so far been arrested. They also produced voter lists of 2007 showing names of family members of the suspects.

The defence counsels said that Safi was even elected nazim in a local government election and polled 500 votes.

They requested the court to discharge their clients.

The court, however, sent the suspects to jail on judicial remand saying the investigation officer’s request for extension in physical remand could not be justified.

The court has directed the IO to submit charge sheet against the suspects at the earliest. Both the suspects are residents of Rawalpindi.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2016.