Pak admits issuance of fake passports to Indians by consulate in Houston

Rawalpindi, Jan 12(ANI): Pakistan's consul general in Houston has confirmed the allegations by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that fake Pakistani passports were issued to Indian citizens.

Aqil Naeem appeared in an accountability court as a witness and said that the passports had been issued by the Houston consulate as claimed by the NAB in its reference against former consul general Ghulam Rasool Baloch and others.

Naeem said that the cases of misappropriation had been mentioned in the report of the audit of the consulate's financial record, and the record of all people who had submitted additional fees to obtain passports from the consulate was available, The Dawn reports.

The case was referred to NAB by the Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry after it received a report from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in March 2008, which said that the consulate had issued about 300 passports on fake or incomplete documents.

A reference was filed against Ghulam Rasool, Assistant Consul General Mohammad Naeem and travel agent Imran Lalpuri for issuing passports to Indian citizens Aziz Moosa, Salim Ali and Abdul Sadiqas Sultan Abdullah.

The court has adjourned the hearing till January 19. (ANI)