Visa scandal: Millions of Fake Visas issued by Pakistani Embassy, fueling illegal Afghan influx

ISLAMABAD (Zubair Kasuri): Following the government’s decision to repatriate millions of illegal Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan, explosive revelations have emerged from sources within the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

According to these sources, the Pakistani embassy in Afghanistan has been issuing over three hundred thousand medical tourist and other category visas annually, a process allegedly rife with corruption and illegal activities.

Sources indicate that Afghan citizens submit visa applications with forged medical documents via the NADRA portal. Embassy officials, after a pro forma wait of over 30 days for responses from law enforcement agencies, proceed to issue visas.

However, for expedited visa processing, Afghan and Pakistani agents operating within the embassy reportedly solicit bribes ranging from $200 to $900, facilitating visa issuance within 24 to 72 hours.

The flawed visa policy has allowed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and law enforcement agencies to become primary beneficiaries of this illicit trade. Medical visa applicants are required to provide medical slips from only 24 designated Pakistani hospitals or clinics, a list that itself lacks verification.

Afghan citizens routinely secure three to six-month visas using unverified and counterfeit medical slips, subsequently disappearing into Pakistan.

Confirming these allegations, sources within the Ministry of Interior and NADRA revealed that over nine hundred thousand visas across various categories have been issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the past three years.

However, only 15,000 individuals have contacted the Ministry of Interior for visa extensions, leaving the vast majority illegally residing in various Pakistani cities.

A letter issued by Agha Hashir, a Section Officer at the Ministry of Interior, directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other agencies to verify medical visas at airports via medical officers. However, no verification has been conducted for visas issued over the past three years.

NADRA sources assert that repatriating illegal Afghan nationals is challenging due to the financial benefits accrued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other departments. Software deficiencies and a lack of inter-agency data sharing further complicate the process. The authenticity of visas and documents held by Afghan nationals entering Pakistan remains highly questionable.

While the Ministry of Interior has reduced visa extension periods from three to one month, Pakistani embassies, including the Kabul embassy, continue to issue three to six-month visas. A senior Ministry of Interior official stated that the ministry bears the brunt of pressure regarding the repatriation of Afghan nationals.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that the Afghan Desk, responsible for visa issuance, is considered the ministry’s most lucrative department. Clerks and senior officials posted to this desk are often appointed through significant influence. An audit, if conducted, would reveal that millions of visas have been issued based on fabricated documents, with the recipients now untraceable in Pakistan.

Sources emphasize that to effectively address the issue of illegal Afghan residents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must immediately halt the issuance of visas across all categories.