Saudi Arabia Identifies 1,296 Afghans Holding Fake Pakistani Passports

ISLAMABAD (RNN TV) — The Senate Committee on Interior and Narcotics was informed on Thursday that Saudi authorities had identified 1,296 Afghan nationals who had obtained counterfeit Pakistani passports.

During the session, chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman at Parliament House, the committee was briefed by Director General Passports Mustafa Jamal Qazi, who confirmed that these individuals were later deported to Afghanistan. He also revealed that 45 additional cases of forged passports have surfaced.

Senator Rehman directed NADRA to present a comprehensive report at the next meeting, detailing the actions taken against those responsible for issuing the fraudulent documents. It was disclosed that 35 assistant directors had been penalized for their involvement in creating fake passports.

The committee was further told that thousands of fake passports originated from areas including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gujranwala, and Gujrat. Of particular concern were 4,500 passports with missing data, 3,000 altered via photo-swapping, and 6,000 forged through unauthorized access to NADRA systems — totaling around 12,000 fraudulent passports, most held by individuals currently outside Pakistan.

In addition, the committee discussed CNIC renewal and identity fraud. NADRA’s COO explained that all CNICs must be renewed every ten years. To combat fraudulent entries in family trees, NADRA has introduced a new policy requiring physical and biometric verification of close blood relatives for any family registration changes.

Source: Web Desk