PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday arrested six Afghan nationals involved in the forgery of Pakistani Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs).
The arrests began with Najeebullah, apprehended at the Torkham border crossing. He was found with a fake Pakistani CNIC and an Afghan tazkira (identity document). Najeebullah had reportedly entered Pakistan through the Chaman border and obtained a Pakistani passport and CNIC with the help of an individual in Quetta.
Following Najeebullah’s arrest, five additional Afghan nationals were detained in Peshawar, where authorities recovered Pakistani CNICs, passports, and Afghan tazkiras. The arrested individuals were reportedly planning to travel to Saudi Arabia via Kabul using their counterfeit Pakistani documents.
The FIA is conducting further raids to apprehend more individuals linked to the forgery ring.
In a separate operation, the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle in Karachi captured Mazhar Iqbal, a notorious human trafficker listed in the Red Book of high-profile smugglers. Iqbal, who had been evading capture for eight years, was apprehended at Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore. He faces charges in five cases filed by the FIA Karachi.
Iqbal had previously completed a prison sentence but was sought by the Karachi anti-human trafficking team for additional offenses. Investigations into his activities are ongoing.
