Olympics passport scam: Govt asks NADRA to sue The Sun for defamation
Lawsuit to be filed will be for Rs10 billion in damages.
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.
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.