Saudi authorities secured 12,000+ Pakistani passports from Afghans.
The revelation of Pakistani passports has raised concerns about the efficiency of national institutions.
According to reports, the Riyadh authorities have informed Islamabad about the matter, highlighting the acquisition of these fake passports by Afghan citizens through various passport centers operating inside Pakistan.
In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs has formed a high-level committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and sensitive government agencies.
The main responsibilities of this committee include identifying those involved in the issuance of fake passports and compiling a list of those involved. The legal system of the country will take action against these individuals at a later time in accordance with the law.
The development comes after the government issued an ultimatum, directing all illegal foreign residents in Pakistan to leave the country by the end of October. The directive has prompted the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to express concerns about the profiling of Afghan nationals with a “narrow view of national security”. On Wednesday, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions Safran assured that legally residing Afghan nationals in Pakistan will not face harassment or arrest.
The process of evacuating Afghan nationals living illegally in Pakistan began last week, with 16 trucks bringing 20 families to the Torkham border. After fulfilling the legal requirements, these 20 families will be allowed to enter Afghanistan out of total number of 350.
