Three officers of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) have been arrested in Balochistan for their alleged involvement in a large fake passport network that helped Afghan nationals obtain Pakistani documents.
According to the Federal Investigation Agency, the arrested officials include Assistant Director Syed Anwar Shah, Junior Executive Syed Akhtar Shah, and Assistant Director for the Chaman Zone Khawaja Waqas. FIA teams detained them under warrants issued by Judicial Magistrate 7 in Quetta.
Investigators say Afghan nationals were able to get Pakistani identity cards and passports in exchange for hefty payments. The scale of the fraud became evident when the Afghan Embassy in Saudi Arabia returned 12,096 Pakistani passports to the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh. These passports had been submitted by Afghan citizens. Verification later showed that 7,613 of the documents were illegally issued through collusion between some Nadra officials and immigration staff. Authorities say the scheme has hurt Pakistan’s international credibility.
FIA officials added that another Nadra officer, Ali Ahmad, had already been arrested earlier for approving identity cards for 60 foreign nationals. The latest arrests were made after new evidence surfaced during the inquiry.
Nadra sources also revealed that one of the recently detained officers is separately being investigated for allegedly selling citizens’ personal data, adding another layer of seriousness to the case.
