Saudi Arabian authorities disclosed that they have successfully retrieved over 12,000 Pakistani passports from Afghan nationals..
According to details, authorities in Riyadh have informed Islamabad about the matter which has raised questions on the performance of national institutions.
Sources disclosed that these spurious passports were allegedly procured by Afghan citizens through multiple passport centres operating within Pakistan.
The Ministry of Interior has constituted a high-level committee dedicated to scrutinising the matter. Subsequent legal proceedings will be initiated against these individuals in accordance with the country’s laws, the sources added.
The development follows the government’s issuance of an ultimatum, instructing all illegal foreign residents in Pakistan to depart the country by the end of October. The move prompted the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to take exceptions with regard to Afghan profiling with “narrow view of national security”.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) said that the Afghan nationals staying legally in Pakistan will neither be harassed nor arrested.
