FIA arrests 2 NADRA officers, agent on charges of issuing CNICs to foreign nationals

FIA Sindh Director Amir Farooqi told a presser on Thursday that certain NADRA employees helped received money to issue CNICs to the militants linked with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and proscribed outfits of Baloch sub-nationalist groups.

He said an Indian citizen, Imran Ali, who was involved in the Safoora carnage was also issued a CNIC, adding the suspects involved in the attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi also got their identity changed.

The Baloch militant group chief Allah Nazar and others got Nadra’s CNICs, the FIA director further said, adding several employees of Nadra Sindh were involved in helping the terrorists to get the cards.

He revealed that foreign agencies had breached Nadra’s system and damaged it. “Deputy director Nadra and other employees were involved in it."

Farooqi disclosed that around three to four million “fake“ CNICs were prepared during the last general elections.

He said the fake CNICs had been traced and expressed the hope that the same would be blocked soon.

Some Afghans who got the CNICs have been arrested. “We are trying to further improve Nadra’s software,” he shared.

The FIA director said senior officials in Nadra were involved in this racket. “Postings were managed from the top office to place the officers in Nadra centres which were considered lucrative for making illegal CNICs like those in Korangi, Defence etc.,” said Farooqi.

Farooqi further told that a network involved in cryptocurrency had also been detected, which was suspected of providing financial support to terrorists.