FIA arrests former NADRA official over CNIC for Iranian national

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested a former assistant director of the National Database and Registration Authority in Karachi over a Pakistani identity card issued to an Iranian national, in a case registered as FIR No. 273/2026.

An FIA spokesperson identified the suspect as Zia-ul-Haq Arain, who served as assistant director (technical) at NADRA's mega centre at Siemens Chowrangi in Karachi. The agency's anti-human trafficking circle in the city made the arrest.

According to the FIA spokesperson, Arain is accused of facilitating the processing of a computerised national identity card for a man named Muhammad Akbar by presenting him as a Pakistani national. Investigators say Akbar is an Iranian citizen.

The case began at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, where immigration officials stopped two passengers travelling to Qatar on Pakistani passports and questioned whether their claimed nationality was genuine. During preliminary questioning, according to the FIA, both said they were Iranian nationals by birth and had obtained Pakistani identity documents through unlawful means after paying money.

Their statements led investigators to NADRA records and to the documents processed for the people identified at the airport. The inquiry brought Arain's alleged role in Akbar's CNIC to light, and the FIA arrested him for questioning.

TechJuice reported that the arrest was made on Saturday. Minute Mirror did not give a day for the arrest in its report.

The FIA said questioning of the suspect is continuing and that NADRA records and supporting documents are being verified to establish how the card was processed and whether standard verification steps were bypassed. The agency said it is also looking at whether other NADRA officials, private agents or intermediaries were involved, and that the investigation will continue until everyone linked to the alleged network is identified.