Issuing CNICs to Afghans: FIA arrests two NADRA officers after court rejects bail pleas

At least 15 officials have been nailed in crackdown against granting CNICs to foreign nationals

QUETTA: The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) has arrested two NADRA officials from court premises after their bail pleas were rejected on Monday.

According to FIA officials, NADRA Deputy Director Ikramullah Kakar and Assistant Director Muhammad Yusaf Kurd were arrested from Sessions Court after the Judicial Magistrate rejected their applications for bail before arrest.



Both officials had appeared before the magistrate on charges of unlawfully issuing Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) to foreigners, particularly Afghan Refugees.

“The deputy director and assistant director of NADRA have issued thousands of Pakistani identity cards to the Afghan citizens against huge bribes,” a FIA official claimed.

Five days ago, FIA had arrested assistant commissioners of Chaman and Killa Abdullah and an ex-additional deputy commissioner for verifying documents of Afghan nationals to get Pakistani identity. All of the three officials were members of NADRA documentation verifying committee. Meanwhile, FIA is set to further grill the director and deputy director of the registration authority. “Ikramullah Kakar and Muhammad Yousaf Kurd have been arrested from the court of the judicial magistrate and shifted to FIA cell for further interrogation,” an FIA official said.



At least 15 officials including seven officers of NADRA have been apprehended since the FIA launched crackdown against granting CNICs to foreign nationals on forged documents.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2016.