Following the government’s decision to deport millions of illegal Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan, sources responsible for the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) have made an explosive revelation. According to sources, the Pakistani embassy is issuing more than three lakh medical tourists and other categories of visas from Afghanistan every year, which are allegedly fraught with massive corruption and illegal activities.
The sources said that Afghan nationals submit visa applications on the NADRA portal with fake medical documents. Embassy officials issue visas after waiting for more than 30 days from legal institutions, but bribes of $200 to $900 are taken to get visas quickly. This bribe is collected within 24 to 72 hours by Afghan and Pakistani agents working inside the embassy.
Due to loopholes in the visa policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and law enforcement agencies are the biggest beneficiaries of this illegal business. Those coming to Pakistan on medical visas require medical slips from only 24 Pakistani hospitals, which are not even verified. Afghan nationals obtain three to six-month visas by submitting fake slips and then disappear in Pakistan.
Sources in the Ministry of Interior and NADRA have confirmed that more than nine lakh visas were issued in the last three years, but only 15,000 people contacted them for visa extensions. All the rest are residing in Pakistan illegally.
In a letter issued by Agha Hasher, a section officer of the Ministry of Interior, the FIA and other agencies have been directed to verify medical visas with medical officers at airports, but no verification of visas issued in the last three years has been done.
According to NADRA sources, it is not easy to deport illegal Afghan nationals because it is a major source of income for other agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are also problems due to software flaws and lack of data sharing. Visas and documents of all Afghan nationals coming to Pakistan are suspect.
The Interior Ministry has reduced the visa period from three months to one month, but embassies are still issuing visas for three to six months. According to a senior Interior Ministry official, the Interior Ministry is under the most pressure to deport Afghan nationals.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said that the Afghan desk is the most profitable department of the Foreign Ministry. The posting of clerks and officers posted here is on recommendation. If a full audit is done, millions of Afghan nationals have been issued visas on fake documents.
The sources further said that all categories of visas issued by the Foreign Ministry to deport illegal Afghan nationals should be stopped immediately.
