The Interior Ministry on Monday constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to conduct probe into the fake passport scandal. The JIT will comprise officials from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB). The Ministry of Interior has also directed the FIA to register cases against those officials allegedly involved in the scam, an official said.
He said that the team, which is headed by Director General (DG) FIA, will complete the investigation within three-day and arrest the officials involved in the scam. The Interior Ministry has also placed the name of Abid Chaudhry a politician allegedly involved in the scandal, on the exit control list (ECL), he said. The official said that eight personnel of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) have been suspended following a report in the British newspaper pertaining to the fake passport scandal.
All the suspended officials are from Nadra's Lahore office, he said. Meanwhile, Chairman Nadra Tariq Malik said that Nadra is looking into the matter from every angle and strict action would be initiated if any official of Nadra found guilty. Earlier in the day, British newspaper claimed to have exposed an alleged crime ring in Pakistan offering false passports, visas, with illegal access to 2012 London Olympics.