August 13, 2006	Sunday	Rajab 17, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Aug 12: A total of 1,500 visas of the United Kingdom have disappeared during transportation from London to Moscow and from the British Embassy in Sudan this year, sources told Dawn.

Head of the media section of British High Commission in Islamabad Aidan Liddle, when contacted, confirmed that 900 UK visas went missing while being transported to Moscow from London.

When asked whether another 600 UK visas had also disappeared from British Embassy in Sudan some months ago with alleged connivance of the embassy officials, he said; “I have not heard about this.” However investigations are in progress to trace the missing visas and they are progressing well but we are still in the dark about how this has happened and where these visas disappeared, he added.

Since the stolen visas are blank with no numbers printed on them, it is quite difficult to trace or cancel them, the source feared. Anyone having technical know how could use these visas for nefarious designs. Sources said the missing/stolen visas could have fallen into the hands of people intending to enter the UK to conduct terrorist activities, sources said.

Meanwhile, a joint team of Pakistan-USA-UK intelligence agencies raided surrounding areas of Bahalwalpur and picked up four persons for having links with suspected plane terrorist plot and Rashid Rauf, who provided lead about the plot during interrogation by the agencies.

Rauf was born in 1957, and he is father of Tayyab Rauf, born on April 26, 1984, a suspect who was arrested in UK last year in connection with 7/7 London train blasts.

The sources said the agencies raided all possible places where Rauf went during his recent visit to Pakistan including his father’s native village near Jhelum and mother’s native town near Bahalwalpur.