NADRA employees helped foreigners obtain nationality documents: FIA

• FIA Sindh director says foreign nationals and banned militant outfits obtained identity cards with the assistance of NADRA officials. 
• Three people have been arrested, including two NADRA assistant directors, and an investigation is underway, says FIA director.
• Cases will be registered against the accused under the Terrorism Act as well as NADRA rules. 

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency Sindh on Thursday said that some of the employees belonging to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) have been involved in issuing four million fake national identity cards to foreign nationals. 

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, FIA Sindh Director Amir Farooqi said that foreign agencies sought the help of NADRA employees to acquire forged nationality documents for their people, adding that the illegal activity had been taking place for the last five to 10 years.

"Due to the issuance of fake identity documents, the country faced security challenges and also suffered losses," Farooqi said. 

Director FIA Sindh said that people from banned militant outfits, like the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), have been included in NADRA's database. He further added Al-Qaeda operators also made fake identity cards for their people.

Farooqi added that many Burmese and other foreigners have also made identity cards in Pakistan, while a total of four million fake identity cards were made in the last five to ten years.

Three people have been arrested, including two NADRA assistant directors, and an investigation is proceeding, he said. 

Noman Siddiqui, the prime suspect in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar blast in 2018, has also been arrested, said Amir Farooqi.

According to FIA officials, cases will be registered against the accused under the Terrorism Act as well as NADRA rules.