Two FIA officials held for bribery in visa scam for Afghan

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two of its own officials over charges of corruption in connection with the illegal issuance of e-visas to Afghan nationals, according to a statement issued on Friday.

The visa scandal surfaced last week when the anti-crime watchdog arrested four individuals allegedly involved in getting Pakistani visas for Afghans on fake sponsorship letters. A sponsorship letter is mandatory for Afghan nationals for getting Pakistani visa.

In a press release, the agency said the arrests were made by the FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle Islamabad on the instructions of Director General FIA Riffat Mukhtar, as part of an ongoing internal accountability drive.

The arrested officials have been identified as Sub-Inspector Waseem Ahmed and Constable Aqib Mehmood, both of whom were posted at the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Islamabad.

According to the FIA, the two officials had demanded a bribe of Rs2 million from an accused named Zubair, who was already in FIA custody on physical remand in the illegal e-visa case. The bribe was allegedly sought in exchange for facilitating Zubair’s transfer to judicial remand and providing him other favours during custody.

The FIA said the two officials have now been taken into custody and a formal investigation has been launched.

So far, a total of six suspects have been arrested in the case involving the illegal issuance of e-visas to Afghan nationals. The detainees include Abdul Aziz, Ahmed Sakhi, Atif Ahmed, Nader Rahim Abbasi, Ibrar Ahmed, and Zubair Ahmed.

Two of these accused are government officials, one was working in the Press Information Department and other in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

To investigate the role of the FIA officers involved, a four-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed under the supervision of Assistant Director Nauman Khalil. The team also includes Sub-Inspectors Shams Khan and Shehryar, and Constable Mehdi.

“The JIT will conduct an impartial probe and submit its report,” the FIA said, adding that the aim of the accountability process is to rid the department of corrupt elements and restore public trust.

“Strict action is being taken against FIA officials involved in illegal activities,” said the FIA chief, adding that internal accountability is the only way to eliminate corruption and human smuggling from the organisation.

“Officers found guilty of corruption will face exemplary punishment,” the DG stated.

500,000 VISAS ISSUED SINCE JAN 2024

Meanwhile, a meeting in Islamabad was informed on Monday that Pakistani diplomatic missions in Afghanistan have issued over 500,000 visas since January 2024 to date across a range of categories such as medical, tourist, business, and study.

This was revealed during the inaugural round of the Additional Secretary-Level Mechanism between the Foreign Ministries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan side was led by Additional Secretary (Afghanistan & West Asia), Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani, while the Afghan side was led by Director General, First Political Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor.

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