Pakistani authorities have arrested nine Afghan nationals who attempted to enter the country using forged medical visas, according to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The arrests took place over the past three days at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport as part of a crackdown on visa fraud.
FIA officials revealed that the Afghan nationals took advantage of the suspension of Pakistan’s visit visas for Afghan citizens, using counterfeit medical certificates to gain entry under the pretense of seeking medical treatment. Upon arriving in Pakistan, many reportedly sought visas from embassies and consulates in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, with plans to travel onward to countries such as the United States and Japan.
The FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle has registered three separate cases—205/2024, 207/2024, and 213/2024—against the individuals, who have since been jailed following court orders. Officials confirmed that while the visas appeared legitimate, the individuals had entered the country through fraudulent means, constituting a criminal offense.
In a related effort, the FIA previously arrested two key members of a gang involved in a major visa fraud scheme that deceived over 350 citizens. The suspects, Ghulam Murtaza and Anjum Javed, were apprehended during a raid in Islamabad on July 12. They had orchestrated a fraudulent scheme promising employment in Greece, swindling innocent citizens out of more than Rs 78 million by providing fake visas in exchange for large sums of money.
The FIA urges citizens to verify the authenticity of job offers and visas through official channels to avoid falling victim to such scams. Earlier, on July 6, the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Cell in Rawalpindi conducted a raid on an overseas employment promoter’s office, arresting Owais Nazir, a human smuggler, for involvement in both visa fraud and human trafficking. Nazir had collected over Rs 0.63 million from a citizen, promising employment in Bahrain, but failed to deliver before going into hiding. The police have confirmed his arrest and initiated an investigation into the case.
