Nisar forming committee to probe Axact scandal

By
Azaz Syed
|

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaurdhy Nisar said on Friday that a prosecution committee was being formed to probe the Axact fake degree scandal, days after an Axact executive was charged by a US Federal Court for his part in a $140 million fake diploma mill scheme.

Umair Hamid, 30, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scam that impacted tens of thousands of consumers.

Speaking at a ceremony here, Chaudhry Nisar said two more committees were being formed to probe the Axact and Khanani and Kalia money laundering case, adding that much of the record in Khanani and Kalia case had been wasted.

He said the investigating officer in Axact case was ill and that the prosecution committee will be formed next week.

Nisar said slain Afghan Taliban supremo Mullah Mansoor was issued a Pakistani computerised national identity card (CNIC) in 2005, accusing the past government of overtly issuing CNICs and passports to foreigners.

The minister said the incumbent government paid enough attention to the issue of fake CNICs and passports, adding that it was not only difficult, rather it is impossible to work honestly in the country.

"The government cancelled 32,400 passports and blocked 22,3000 CNICs during last three years. It also verified 101 million CNICs across the country," he said. "The past government merely cancelled 500 passports."

"Besides this, around 95 million unregistered mobile SIM cards were blocked in just 90 days," he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said the former governments issued passports and CNICs to foreigners, which were used in human trafficking. He, however, said an 18-member committee is being formed to review wrongly blocked CNICs.

He said the ones involved in facilitating issuance of fake CNICs and passports will be taken to task in another phase.

The interior minister also said the Federal Investigation Agency had been actively pursuing a complaint by the attorney general pertaining to a fake picture being circulated across social networking sites.

He further stated that two more committees were being formed to probe the Axact and Khanani and Kalia money laundering case, adding that much of the record in Khanani and Kalia case had been wasted.