LAHORE, July 30: A judicial magistrate acquitted on Monday four officials of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in the Olympic visa and fake passport scam after the FIA submitted its report in favour of the accused persons.

The FIA investigating officer submitted in the report that Pakistani institutions and its officials had no role in the alleged visa/passport scam.

He said that Muhammad Ali Asad, the front man of a UK newspaper, had misled the Nadra and passport office and got his national identity card renewed after a decade.

The IO said that many changes were happened in the identity card including the change of picture.

He said that Asad willfully tarnished the image of Pakistani institutions and leveled baseless allegations.

The officer said the four arrested officials of Nadra were found innocent in the investigation and requested the court to issue their release orders.

After going through the report, magistrate Sohail Anjum acquitted accused Muhammad Asif, Syed Wasif Ali, Mukhtar Husain and Faheem Ahmad of the charges and ordered their release.