Pakistan blocks passports of 4,700 nationals imprisoned in UAE

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has taken a stern stance against its citizens involved in criminal activities abroad, specifically in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ARY News reported citing Ministry of Interior sources.

According to official sources, the passports of 4,700 Pakistani nationals currently imprisoned in the UAE have been blocked.

The decision comes after the UAE authorities provided detailed information about the 5,292 citizens of Pakistan serving jail terms for various offences. Among the blocked passports, 2,470 belong to individuals convicted of drug-related crimes, while 100 are linked to fraud, deception, and sexual harassment cases.

Additionally, the passports of 704 Pakistanis imprisoned for theft and 216 involved in murder and robbery have also been revoked. Furthermore, the government has blocked the passports of 375 Pakistani nationals residing illegally in the UAE.

In a separate development, on November 2, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested 34 Afghan nationals attempting to travel abroad using fake passports obtained from Pakistan.

As per details, the suspects had allegedly entered Pakistan illegally through the Chaman border and were caught in Peshawar.

Additional director of FIA said Rizwan Shah said that the FIA raided a hostel in Peshawar, arresting two foreign nationals, which led to the discovery of 32 more Afghan nationals residing there.

He said that the investigation revealed that the suspects had obtained fake identity cards and passports through agents in Pakistan.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency arrested three more accused, allegedly involved in the issuance of fake Pakistani passports to Afghan citizens.

According to the details, FIA’s anti-corruption wing nabbed three agents from Attock on the identification of the already arrested accused named Dost Mohammad.

The FIA said that the arrested accused persons were operating as ‘agents’ and preparing fake documentation for the issuance of passports in connivance with officials of the National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA).

The FIA maintained the accused would be produced before the court on Saturday.

Similarly, the FIA arrested 15 suspects, including seven officers of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Passport Immigration in a case pertaining to the issuance of fake Pakistani passports to Afghan nationals.

Three Assistant Directors Passport Immigration, and four NADRA officers have been arrested by the FIA.

The sources said that four agents and five Afghan nationals were also arrested in the operation. The FIA has taken action on complaints received from NADRA and the Passport Office.

The gang was involved in the issuance of forged Pakistani passports at the international level. The FIA sources said that 16 accused had been arrested in the case.