ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday arrested an Indian national, Rustam Sidhwa, for the possession of a fake Pakistani ID card.

Mr Sidhwa is the brother-in-law of sitting PML-N MNA Isphanyar Bhandara, who is also the current CEO of Murree Brewery. The two have been involved in a property dispute for some time.

Mr Sidhwa filed a bail-before-arrest petition with the Special Central Judge Malik Nazeer.

He was arrested outside court premises after the petition was dismissed. FIA sources said more arrests in the case were possible.

Mr Sidhwa is Zoroastrian and entered Pakistan in 1987. He registered himself as a minor at the airport. He applied for a National Identity Card (NIC) in 1990. According to his documentation, his birthplace was listed as New Delhi, India.

In 1997, he married one of the daughters of the late M.P. Bhandara, then owner of Murree Brewery.

In 2003, he applied for an ID card once more, this time listing Clifton, Karachi, as his place of birth.

Last year, a petitioner approached the Islamabad High Court, requesting that Mr Sidhwa’s ID card be cancelled.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2016

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