Olympics passport scam: Govt asks NADRA to sue The Sun for defamation

Lawsuit to be filed will be for Rs10 billion in damages.


Afp/web Desk July 25, 2012

ISLAMABAD: The government, on Wednesday, decided to  register a case against British tabloid The Sun in British courts, calling its Olympics passport scam report "false propaganda."

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, while speaking to media, said "a dirty propaganda was unleashed against Pakistan."

"The cabinet ordered the Nadra to file a defamation suit (against the paper) after consulting the law ministry," Kaira added

He also took a swipe at the paper, saying it "does not have a good reputation".

According to sources, the lawsuit to be filed will be for Rs10 billion in damages.

The cabinet also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to halt investigations pertaining to Olympics visa scam cases in light of its recent decision to file a lawsuit against the aforementioned tabloid.

The decision for filing the lawsuit was taken after NADRA Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik briefed the cabinet.

Details will be given in the cabinet briefing.

Earlier, The Sun had claimed to have broken into a crime ring which was issuing fake passports and visas, giving potential terrorists a chance to sneak into Britain along with Pakistan’s Olympic delegation.

Lahore-based politician Abid Chaudhry was accused by the tabloid for bypassing stringent security checks to smuggle people to London under the garb of Pakistani officials in exchange for a payment of Rs1 million.

A script submitted by the interior ministry mentions an instance in which a computerised NIC and passport were issued from Nadra and the passport office, Lahore, to a person with fake particulars of Muhammad Ali.

The government was conducting investigations in the matter, including seeking the full profile of Abid Chaudhry whereas the FIA and other agencies were conducting their own investigations.

The FIA had also arrested 11 suspects in relation to the scams believed to be carried out by Chaudhry and other officials.

COMMENTS (38)

Marsie | 11 years ago | Reply

@Arsie you did not answer his concerns. How did thousands of Afghanis managed to get a Pakistani ID card?

Arsie | 11 years ago | Reply

@Junaid I have more knowledge on nadra than anyone on this thread n I have experienced corrupt govt officials more than you can imagine. Im telling you with first hand knowledge that Nadra has one of the brightest, honest n competent officers in the country n their system n security is regarded as one of the best in the world. Way beyond the level of these OP's who are always complaining n finding faults in the country.

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