Biggest visa scam being probed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have unearthed the biggest visa scam ever that links over 14,000 foreign nationals who allegedly got processed their travel documents by submitting either bogus, forged, invalid, fake or incomplete credentials in past two years.

The News have had exclusive access to highly confidential communications of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which revealed that over two dozen officials had committed gross violation of country’s visa policy after processing over 14,000 visa applications (visit, business and work) in a slipshod manner and thus placing vital security interests of the country at risk during this period.

“Business visa has become more of a racket or mafia working for the advancement of interests of foreigners in Pakistan. Cases have also been identified where visa/ visa extensions were given without any verification, nor the credentials of foreign applicants were checked against blacklist. No policy was followed by the concerned section for extensions of visas and personal whims being used to facilitate foreigners who were fake or possessed doubtful credentials by origin.

A total of 13,671 records of visas extensions were processed in the last one year from Lahore. A random physical checking about 6,000 applications suggest that while issuing visa extensions, visa policy and rules have not been followed,” revealed the confidential communications occurred among FIA, MoI and DPI in recent weeks.

The News exclusively got a complete copy of this communication which further revealed that “during examination of records, original references (visa extensions advices were found missing from record. It was also observed that format, contents and grammar of the letters for visa extension were sufficient to prove that those were not authentic."

The FIA’s anti-human trafficking circle is conducting inquiry against illegal visa/ visa extension cases. Now three independent inquiry committees are probing the issue. The probe started some 12 weeks back when the MoI, FIA and DGPI offices were flooded with complaints.

Officials probing the scam confided to this correspondent that over two dozen officials were allegedly found involved in malpractices, at this stage of investigation, prominent among them is the name of one Fiaz Hussain, Director Passports, Lahore. One section officer has resigned, three section officers were transferred, one director general passports and immigration, two additional secretaries, two deputy secretaries were removed from posts and director passports Lahore was recommended for the dismissal.

Some other officials of the MoI, FIA and DGPI who have allegedly played a key role in this scam include two female officers who were either asked to report back to the Establishment Division, transferred or suspended. Three different inquiries have been started at different forums.

Khalid Rasool, a senior officer, is conducting two inquiries, while Deputy Secretary Tariq Aleem Gill is probing business visas issued to foreign nationals. The inquiry committees are also determining alleged role of Ishrat Ali and Shahzad Khan Bangash, the then DGs Passports and Immigration, Rafique Khokhar, Staff Officer to Minister for Interior, Add Secretaries Tariq Sardar and Aziz Uqaili, Deputy Secretary Muzaffar Burki, Section Officers Iqra Anum, Mian Uzair bin Rafey and some others in this visa scam.

This correspondent approached multiple times, emailed questions, texted details and spoke to all senior officials of the MoI on phone for their version but they did not respond to the questionnaire.