Committee formed to probe issuance of 12,000 fake Pakistani passports

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior on Monday constituted a five-member committee to investigate the matter related to the issuance of 12,000 fake Pakistani passports, recovered by Saudi Arabia authorities from Afghan nationals, ARY News reported.

Saudi Arabia authorities had said they have successfully retrieved over 12,096 Pakistani passports from Afghan nationals – a development which raised concerns about the performance of national institutions.

According to reports, Riyadh authorities have notified Islamabad about this matter and handed over the alleged fake passports to Pakistani embassy.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior constituted a high-level five-member committee to investigate the matter.

Director-General (DG) Passport and Immigration will head the committee, which comprises of representatives from the Interior Ministry, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and NADRA. Assistant Director Admin Passport will be secretary of the committee.

This committee’s primary responsibilities include identifying the individuals involved in the issuance of counterfeit passports and compiling a list of those implicated. Subsequent legal actions will be taken against these individuals in accordance with the country’s laws.

The committee will also give suggestions on how such threats can be prevented in the future. The committee will present a report to Caretaker Interior Minister within 15 days.

This development came after follows the caretaker government issued an ultimatum, instructing all illegal foreign residents in Pakistan to leave the country by the end of October.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has been a host to millions of refugees for decades, with a peak of up to five million Afghan refugees residing at one point.