Pre-arrest bail petitions in CNICs case dismissed

PESHAWAR: A special anti-corruption and immigration court on Friday dismissed pre-arrest bail petitions of two former deputy assistant directors of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) allegedly charged in issuance of fake Pakistani CNIC to Afghan woman Sharbat Gula.

Judge Farah Jamshed Khan of the special anti-corruption (central) and immigration court dismissed the bail before arrest applications of Palwasha Afridi and Mohsin Ehsan after they did not appear before the court.

When the court started hearing in the bail petitions, counsel for the petitioners submitted medical certificates on behalf of the petitioners and requested the court to extend their pre-arrest bail as they are on medical treatment. However, the court turned down the request and dismissed bail petitions of the Nadra officers.

After dismissing the pre-arrest bails, an official said that the FIA has started search for the petitioners for their arrest in the case. The court had already sent the third accused Emad to the Peshawar Central Prison. An FIA official said former Nadra official Emad was arrested from Islamabad as he was an absconder in the case.

The FIA registered the first information report on October 20 against Sharbat Gula and three former Nadra employees.

The officials were proceeded against for allegedly issuing the CNICs to Sharbat Gula and two other Afghans shown as her sons.

The FIR noted that after the completion of inquiry and checking of Nadra records, it was established that three employees of Nadra Peshawar offices, including Palwasha Afridi, Mohsin Ehsan and Emad fraudulently issued the CNICs to three Afghan nationals, including Sharbat Gula, Wali Khan and Rauf Khan. The court directed the prosecution to furnish the challan till December 1 about the accused in the case.