ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investiga­tion Agency’s (FIA) coun­terterrorism wing in Islamabad arrested three members of an international organised gang for issuing nearly 100 fraudulent Saudi Arabian work visas to Afghan citizens, a spokesman for FIA said.

The arrested suspects were identified as Muhammad Alam Zeb, Asif Khan and Haroon Rashid.

According to the spokesman, Alam allegedly issued 31 visas, Asif four, and Haroon 58.

While the gang allegedly had links to personnel in the FIA Immigration and Passport Office and Nadra, the spokesman clarified, “none of the three members of the gang arrested by the CTW were government officials as they all were private persons.”

The gang was reportedly involved in issuing fake Pakistani identity cards, machine-readable passports, and subsequently, Saudi Arabian work visas to Afghan citizens.

They had issued visas on Pakistani passports to nearly 93 Afghan nationals, the FIA said.

“The involvement of government officials, including officials from the Immigration and Passport Office and Nadra office, in the organised gang is being determined,” the FIA spokesman said, adding that “raids were underway to arrest other suspects involved in the gang.”

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2025