FIA officers caught taking bribes
A major twist emerged in the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) probe into the illegal issuance of e-visas to Afghan nationals on Friday as two officials from the agency's Anti-Human Smuggling Cell - including a sub-inspector - have been caught allegedly soliciting bribes from suspects in custody.
Taking serious notice of the matter, FIA Director General Raja Riffat Mukhtar ordered the arrest of both officials and constituted a four-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to conduct a thorough inquiry.
The FIA's Anti-Human Smuggling Cell had earlier uncovered a large-scale scandal involving the illegal issuance of Pakistani e-visas to Afghan nationals.
The racket was allegedly operating through fake sponsorships and with the connivance of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Press Information Department (PID).
Following the registration of a formal case, FIA arrested six individuals, including PID Information Assistant Nader Rahim and several Afghan nationals.
However, during the investigation, DG FIA Raja Riffat Mukhtar received credible information that some FIA personnel involved in the investigation were allegedly colluding with the suspects and facilitating them in exchange for bribes.
The DG immediately directed Director FIA Islamabad Zone, Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari, to initiate a discreet internal inquiry.
According to the FIA spokesperson, the agency's Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad arrested Sub-Inspector Waseem Ahmed and Constable Aqib Mahmood from the Anti-Human Smuggling Cell on charges of corruption and bribery.
The two officers were allegedly caught demanding a bribe of Rs2 million from Zubair Ahmed, one of the accused in custody in the e-visa case.
The demand was made during his physical remand, in return for providing special treatment and ensuring he would be shifted to judicial custody instead of remaining under physical remand.
A four-member JIT has now been constituted under the supervision of FIA Assistant Director Anti-Corruption, Nauman Khalil, to investigate the matter transparently and impartially. Other members of the team include Sub-Inspector Shams Khan, Sub-Inspector Shehryar, and Constable Mehdi.
The JIT has commenced its inquiry by interrogating the two arrested FIA personnel.
Authorities revealed that six individuals have so far been arrested in connection with the illegal Afghan e-visa case.
The suspects include Abdul Aziz, Ahmad Sakhi, Atif Ahmed, Nader Rahim Abbasi (a PID official), Abrar Ahmed and Zubair Ahmed. Investigations suggest the gang operated by manipulating sponsorship documentation with support from insiders within government departments.