The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Counter-Terrorism Wing Islamabad on Wednesday arrested two people during a crackdown on gangs involved in issuing fake Pakistani identity cards, machine-readable passports, and Saudi Arabian work visas to Afghan nationals and other foreigners.
The suspects, who belong to an international organised network, were taken into custody following an intelligence-based information. Further investigations are ongoing.
The involvement of officials from the Bureau of Immigration & Passports and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will be determined during the course of the inquiry.
FIA officials conducted raids at various locations in Islamabad based on intelligence reports and apprehended key suspects, Muhammad Ishaq Khan and Syed Ehsan Shah. Authorities revealed that the organised network was found to be facilitating Afghan nationals in obtaining fake Pakistani CNICs, machine-readable passports, and Saudi work visas.
Investigations uncovered that suspect Syed Ehsan Shah was involved in issuing Saudi work visas on Pakistani passports to 580 Afghan nationals, while Muhammad Ishaq Khan facilitated the issuance of similar visas to 22 Afghan nationals.
The possible involvement of government officials from the Immigration & Passport Office and NADRA is currently under investigation. Raids are ongoing to arrest other members of the network.
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