KASUR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested 11 people, including officials of a local passport office and private individuals, during a raid on allegations of corrupt practices at the passport office in Abdul Shakoor Colony in B-Division police precincts.
The FIA team also seized the office record and sealed the premises. The team, headed by SI Rao Shafique Ahmed, raided the passport office near the district courts.
According to eyewitnesses, panic gripped the office when FIA officials entered the premises, stopped the staff from working and began taking files, documents and laptops into custody.
The FIA arrested passport office officials, including Assistant Director Muhammad Waqas, Data Entry Operator Muhammad Ilyas, Upper Division Clerk Shahzad Aslam and sweeper Ghulam Mustafa. Three security guards Kaleem, Moqeem and Ahmed were also arrested. Police constable Rohail, who was deputed at the office, was taken into custody as well.
The team also arrested three individuals identified as Rauf, Irfan and Nauman for their alleged involvement in a tout network facilitating deals between passport office staff and applicants.
Sources said most of the employees had been working at the office for a long time and were involved in corrupt practices.
It was alleged that private individuals sitting outside the office facilitated applicants by completing their applications, obtaining tokens and getting objections removed through officials in exchange for bribes. They allegedly operated at the behest of certain corrupt elements within the office.
Several applicants outside the office told Dawn it was impossible to get their work done without dealing with the alleged tout network operating outside the office with the alleged patronage of some officials.
They also complained about the rude and insulting behaviour of some officials and security guards, saying only those who paid bribe to touts or certain officials were allowed easy access to services.
The FIA team later left for its Lahore office with the arrested suspects.
Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026
