PTI starts violence before September 27 protest call

DND News: There were news reports in the national media that Director General (CMU/Audit) Ahmed Ali Sirohey was made OSD by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs days after he unearthed a deep-rooted gang under the nose of the Foreign Secretary Office that caused approximately Rs12 billion in losses to the public exchequer in a single year. On September 16, 2026, Sirohey was transferred and posted as OSD “with immediate effect and until further orders.”

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan described the reports as “unverified and baseless,” saying the ministry had no information or record of any such investigation. “Although the ministry believes in the principles of transparency and accountability, we strongly reject these unverified and baseless claims,” the spokesperson said.

On September 19 and 20, 2026, the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC), Islamabad, raided several consultancy and courier offices located in the basement of F&F Plaza, Aabpara, Islamabad. Consequently, Case No. 48/2026 was registered under Sections 420, 468, 471, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, after the authorities busted a network involved in the production and circulation of fake apostille stickers, forged official seals, and fraudulent document-verification services. Sixteen people were arrested, while six Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials were being sought for questioning and possible arrest. This appears to contradict the spokesperson’s claim that there were no irregularities found by Director General (CMU/Audit) Ahmed Ali Sirohey. It is pertinent to mention that Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan directly works under the Secretary’s Office.

The FIA raids resulted in the recovery of fake apostille stickers, government stamps, and documents allegedly prepared for circulation and use as genuine. The network involved owners and employees of several private consultancy and courier businesses, including Sofi Consultants, Excellent Courier Service (ECS), Leopards Courier Services at F&F Plaza, Aabpara, RAAK Consultancy, Noon Consultants (Private) Limited, GM Consultants, and Fair Line Service.

The case carries allegations including fraud, forgery, use of forged documents as genuine, and corruption-related offences. The FIA alleges that applicants were charged substantial sums of money in the name of expediting apostille and document-attestation services. Investigators claim that a portion of the money collected was allegedly passed on as bribes to officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The agency has further alleged that fake apostille stickers were circulating at different locations across Pakistan, raising concerns about potentially significant losses to the national exchequer and the integrity of documents being presented to foreign authorities.

Sensing the gravity of the situation and the alleged cover-up of the incident by Foreign Office officials, Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar announced the formation of a three-member inquiry committee just hours after the Foreign Office rejected media reports concerning the alleged Rs12 billion collection.

The committee is headed by Petroleum Secretary Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh, with Law Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar and Special Finance Secretary Qamar Sarwar Abbasi serving as members. The committee has been tasked with determining whether there was any misuse or irregularity in the apostille and document-verification system, examining the role of courier companies, and determining whether Foreign Office officials were potentially involved. The ministry’s Additional Secretary (Administration) has been directed to provide the committee with full assistance and access to relevant records and material.

This incident involving the alleged cover-up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the placement of the official who reportedly found irregularities as OSD should be an eye-opener for Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, who trusts senior bureaucrats around him and seemingly does not have a parallel system to check what bureaucrats are doing.