Properties Afghans obtained on illegal CNICs to be confiscated

Islamabad : The officers and officials of the Immigration & Passport (IMPASS) and National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), have committed crimes against the State of Pakistan, damaging the esteem and integrity of the country by issuing (Computerized National Identity Cards) and Pakistani Passports to thousands of Afghan nationals by using illegal means.

“The FIA will investigate the Afghan nationals who have left for abroad on Pakistani Passport and who developed huge properties in Pakistan,” the DD ACC said. All the properties made on illegally issued CNICs would be confiscated by the government,” the FIA said.

The Interior Ministry sources dealing with the case claimed that top government and political personalities were among the Afghans who got Pakistani passports and used Pakistani Passports to live abroad as Pakistani during the state of conflict in Afghanistan.

Most of the Afghan nationals holding Pakistani passports, left Pakistan on Pakistani travelling documents, some, using Pakistani CNICs, put heavy amounts into property trade and got possession of big commercial and residential buildings, plazas, housing societies, and huge industries causing massive inflations in Pakistan. Outrageously, relevant quarters of the interior ministry disclosed that Afghan people involved in terrorist activities were holding Pakistani passports and CNICs, the FIA record disclosed.

Meanwhile, the government received complaints from various countries about Afghan nationals holding Pakistani passports, especially, Saudi Arabia which shared a list of Afghans, having Pakistani passports, who were arrested after they were found involved in unlawful activities.

In the prevalent situation, the establishment decided to take sturdy action against the government officials attached to IMPASS and Nadra with the agents and their facilitators.

The Deputy Director Anti-Corruption Afzal Niazi, telling details of the case registered against Nadra officials, said that two first information reports (FIRs) were lodged on the complaints of Director General Immigration and Passport (IMPASS) and the other was registered on the complaint of Director Nadra.

“Nadra, through technical analysis and information received from the verification agency found out that the individuals being Afghan Nationals obtained CNICs based on the fake documents in connivance with the Agents and NADRA staff members. An initial assessment of the record reveals that CNICs bearing marked numbers have been issued to Afghan nationals,” the DD ACC, quoting statement Nadra, said.

4 officers of Nadra – Najeebullah, Mubashir, Adnan Mehmood, and Aamir Khan – deployed at Islamabad, Peshawar, and Noshehra with 4 agents – Khalid Khan, Shamsher, Sajjad Farid, and Eitzaz – were found involved in committing the national crime by facilitating the agents and issuance of CNICs to the Afghan nationals, he maintained.

“The Director General IMPASS complained with the FIA’s ACC, saying that the officials of IMPASS in active connivance with other private individuals are involved in the issuance of Pakistani Passport to Afghan nationals. The complainant maintained that officers and officials are suspected to be involved in abusing their official authorities for issuing Pakistani Passports to aliens. The Director General shared details of some Passports, CNICs, tracking IDs of 19 Afghan people who obtained Pakistani Passport by using illegal means,” the DD ACC, quoting complaint, said.

The people engaged in the investigation of the case, said that more or less 9 private agents and touts were facilitated and coordinated between the Afghan nationals and the IMPASS officials working in the printing branch of the department.

“The IMPASS authorities recommended 18 officers and officials including for lodging FIR including 5 Dy. Assistant Directors, MPO Operational, a Support Staff, 2 DEOs and lower staff of the IMPASS attached with the offices of Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Nowshera, Quetta, Jamrud, Hayatabad, Shangla and Timergrah,” Afzal Khan Niazi maintained, adding that during inquiry, 52 agents and private persons were found involved in the scam.

“Nadra, through technical analysis and information received from the verification agency found out that the individuals being Afghan Nationals obtained CNICs based on the fake documents in connivance with the Agents and Nadra staff members. An initial assessment of the record reveals that CNICs bearing marked numbers have been issued to Afghan nationals,” the DD ACC, quoting FIR, said.

Nadra officials in active connivance with other private persons and agents are engaged in organized crime of issuing Pakistani identity documents/CNlCs to Afghans and aliens for further trafficking them abroad on Pakistani travel documents by compromising the National Security of the country through illegal intrusion of Aliens as Pakistani. The role of other agents involved and Nadra officials along with Government functionaries will be thrashed out during the investigation, Afzal Niazi maintained.

Niazi said that the Anti-Corruption Circle of FIA had earlier gotten one-year data from IMPASS and Nadra to scrutinize and scrutinized the data and separate the passports and CNICs illegally issued to Afghan nationals, adding the FIA has asked both departments to provide 5-year data with their travel history to scrutinize the data in detail. Big breakthrough expected, he concluded.