Pakistan

Two passport office officials held

Minister directed the FIA to not only recover the money that was extorted but also broaden the scope of the inquiry

Our Correspondent March 20, 2017

One can well imagine the misery of some 8,000 Pakistani expatriates stranded in Saudi Arabia for the past two months.

ISLAMABAD: Two passport officials have been arrested on charges of illegally extorting money from a foreigner. The arrest was made under the interior minister’s orders.

The interior ministry received a complaint on behalf of a foreigner who had been asked to pay passport office staff cash in return for an extension in his visa. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan took serious notice of the complaint and ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest both the accused officials.

The minister directed the FIA to not only recover the money that was extorted but also broaden the scope of the inquiry so as to identify other accomplices.

Chaudhry Nisar has also ordered the withdrawal of certain powers from the passport and immigration department that allowed them to grant extension in visas to foreigners for a certain period. Henceforth, all visa extension cases would be decided by the ministry of interior.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2017.