QUETTA: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Quetta has made significant arrests in a case involving a sophisticated scheme to provide national identity cards to foreigners. In a crackdown that highlights the vulnerability of the country’s citizen registration system, three officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) were taken into custody.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Syed Anwar Shah, the Regional Head Officer (RHO) for Quetta; Junior Executive Syed Akhtar Shah; and Khawaja Waqas, who was posted in the Chaman Zone. Their arrests are connected to FIR No. 3/24, a case stemming from the Riyadh Embassy passport scandal.
According to FIA sources, the officials allegedly operated a lucrative illegal service. For large bribes, they would fraudulently issue Pakistani Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) to foreign nationals. These counterfeit documents of identity were the first critical step for the recipients to then obtain legitimate Pakistani passports, allowing them to travel internationally under false pretenses. The primary destination for these individuals was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The international ring was uncovered after Saudi authorities detained several individuals who had arrived using the fraudulently obtained documents. A formal communication from the Saudi government alerted Pakistani agencies, triggering the FIA’s investigation. The FIA had previously summoned the NADRA officers for questioning. After recording their statements, which were deemed unsatisfactory, the agency moved to arrest them for further, more detailed interrogation. The case exposes a dangerous breach of national security, where trusted officials allegedly monetized a key pillar of citizen verification, compromising the integrity of Pakistan’s official documentation for personal gain.
Meanwhile a joint operation carried out by the Drug Task Force and the Federal Investigation Agency has uncovered a counterfeit medicine packaging factory in the Nawakili area of Quetta, resulting in the arrest of six individuals, including the factory owner.
According to officials, the main accused, identified as Muhammad Tahir, was taken into custody along with five workers named Nazir, Abdullah, Muhammad Yousaf, Muhammad Javed, and Aziz-ur-Rehman.
The illegal unit was operating from a residential house located in Mughal Abad, Shakir Colony, where unregistered, illegal, and fake medicines were being manufactured and packed.
