On August 18, 2026, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the National Assembly that Afghan nationals had surrendered around 5,000 Pakistani passports in Saudi Arabia alone. He added that the disclosure was part of a broader nationwide campaign to identify and remove fraudulent national identity records obtained by foreign nationals. According to Chaudhry, some Afghan nationals had obtained Pakistani Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) and were even added to the official family trees of Pakistani citizens, allegedly through collusion with citizens or the involvement of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officials. Criminal cases have been registered against officials accused of facilitating the issue of fraudulent documents, while some have also been dismissed from service.
These developments come amid Pakistan’s intensified scrutiny of foreign nationals and a continuing repatriation drive that has returned nearly 2.7 million Afghans to Afghanistan since late 2023. In July, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested NADRA officials accused of facilitating fraudulent identity documents for Afghan nationals and began examining possible links between the network and militant elements. Chaudhry noted that the issue extended beyond CNICs to Pakistani passports obtained through fraudulent means and used by Afghan nationals abroad. He warned that when individuals holding such documents become involved in fraud, terrorism or other criminal activities overseas, they may be treated as Pakistani citizens, potentially resulting in visa restrictions and reputational damage to Pakistan. FIA has arrested more than 100 agents in related operations over the preceding month. Opposition lawmakers, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Sharmila Faruqui, called for a detailed investigation and demanded that the Director General of Passports appear before the National Assembly to explain how many additional fraudulent Pakistani passports may be circulating worldwide.
This was not an isolated incident. Earlier reports from 2023-2025 pointed to a larger and more systematic misuse of Pakistani identity documents by Afghan nationals in Saudi Arabia. Parliamentary briefings cited approximately 12,000 Pakistani passports recovered from or linked to Afghan nationals over five years. Of these, around 3,000 reportedly involved photo-swapping, while another 6,000 were allegedly obtained by manipulating data held by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Some passports were also reportedly issued using forged identity documents. Many of the Afghan nationals found in possession of such passports were subsequently deported to Afghanistan.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, but since late 2023, Islamabad has implemented a large-scale Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. The policy was introduced amid a rise in militant violence in Pakistan, particularly attacks attributed to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghan Taliban authorities of providing safe haven, support, and facilitation to the TTP and other terrorist groups involved in cross-border attacks. UN monitoring reports have also documented continued Taliban support for TTP. Islamabad has linked its increasingly restrictive policies toward Afghan nationals to broader security concerns and the alleged presence of militant networks in Afghanistan. Kabul has taken some limited measures, including relocating some TTP fighters, and Afghan authorities deny allowing their territory to be used to conduct attacks against Pakistan or other countries. Relations have deteriorated sharply. Cross-border clashes, Pakistani airstrikes into Afghanistan (including around Kabul and border provinces), and reciprocal retaliatory actions have occurred, with periods described by Pakistani officials as “open war.”
Pakistan links identity fraud and illegal migration to broader security risks, including possible militant infiltration or networks that exploit porous documentation systems. The identity-document scandals exacerbate distrust: Pakistan sees systemic fraud, enabled in part by internal corruption and cross-border networks; the Afghan side views mass returns and documentation crackdowns as punitive.
Saudi Arabia hosts large numbers of Pakistani and Afghan workers, as well as pilgrims, making the integrity of identity and travel documents an important concern for Riyadh. Document fraud can undermine Saudi immigration controls, labour-market regulation, and public-order measures. Saudi authorities have also repeatedly raised concerns about illegal residency and begging networks involving foreign nationals, including some Pakistanis.
For Saudi Arabia, the recovery or surrender of fraudulent Pakistani documents is consistent with its strict enforcement of residency and identity regulations. Large-scale document fraud involving a close strategic partner creates both practical enforcement challenges and diplomatic sensitivities. The issue becomes particularly significant as Pakistan’s role in Saudi security cooperation expands, including through the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the newer trilateral arrangement involving Türkiye.
For Pakistan, the exposure of fraudulent Pakistani documents carries significant reputational risks. If Saudi authorities perceive systemic weaknesses in Pakistan’s passport and identity-document systems, scrutiny of genuine Pakistani workers, pilgrims, and travellers could increase, potentially leading to tighter visa and immigration procedures. While Saudi Arabia can seize fraudulent documents and deport individuals involved, persistent cases could eventually prompt Riyadh to impose broader scrutiny on Pakistani nationals. Repeated misuse of Pakistani passports also risks undermining the image of Pakistan as a reliable security partner.
Strategically, the episode sharpens the security dilemma with Afghanistan, and a larger failure of state capacity and border integrity. This episode is less a standalone scandal than a symptom of deeper rot: porous Pakistani identity systems, entrenched corruption, unresolved TTP sanctuaries across the border, and the practical friction that even a deepening Saudi-Pakistan defence partnership cannot fully insulate against.
