LAHORE, Nov 15: An ambassador, a senior diplomat now serving in the United Nations and three former MNAs are among those being investigated for the misuse of government and diplomatic passports and their issuance to people not entitled to the privilege.

There have been no arrests so far and progress has been slow, partly because all the beneficiaries — mostly drivers, naib qasids, typists, clerks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their near relatives — are abroad.

Source said the issuance of fake passports had first come to light when the French and Italian embassies sought clarification of Foreign Ministry’s policy on issuing diplomatic passports. A preliminary inquiry established that at least 23 people had been issued passports they were not entitled to. The case was then referred to the interior ministry.

The sources said so far the following cases had been identified:

Aftab Ahmad was issued an official passport (S-018151) on Aug 31,1996, allegedly on the instruction of the then additional foreign secretary. He has reportedly migrated to Canada.

Jehan Zaib Khan, now in Denmark, was issued an official passport (S-020554) on Dec 16, 1996, allegedly on the orders of the same additional secretary. In the application for passport, he was alleged to have falsely claimed that he was serving as an assistant of the foreign ministry.

Jamilud Din, a naib qasib at the ministry, was issued an official passport (S-018297) on Sept 15, 1996. He has reportedly migrated to the United States. He is also alleged to have obtained a fake no-objection certificate for US visa, without ever having been posted there.

Chaudhry Muhammad Imran Saqib, a proclaimed offender wanted in Lahore for murder, was issued an official passport (S-012022) on Nov 16, 1995, by falsely showing him to be an assistant working for the foreign ministry. A senior audit officer, Falak Sher, is alleged to have facilitated the issuance and renewal of the passport. There has been no action so far against the officer.

Jehan Zaib, not even a government employee, reportedly bribed a section officer of the ministry to be issued a passport (S-022242) on April 5, 1997. He has migrated to Canada. The section officer, also suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, has retired recently.

Mustafa Husain Khan, a steno typist, used a fake diplomatic passport (S-019086) issued in his name on October 16, 1996, to help a family travel to Switzerland. There has been no action against him or the officer responsible for issuing the fake passport.

Darya Khan, a driver employed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, was shown to be an employee of the foreign ministry and issued a passport (S-022241) April 5, 1997, allegedly at the behest of the then director general. The DG is now serving as an ambassador. The PTCL has since fired Darya Khan, who is now in Canada.

Muhammad Baqir Shah, now in France and reportedly seeking French nationality, was falsely shown to be an employee of the foreign ministry.

Muhammad Ashraf, now in Japan, was issued the fake passport (S-020644) on Dec 16, 1996.

Tariq Amin Qureshi, reportedly sold his passport bearing a multiple-entry US visa.

Sher Afghan, an employee of the Ministry of Science and Technology, obtained a passport on Aug 2, 1996, by producing fake documents. The passport has since been renewed. There has been no action against him.

Muhammad Tauqeer Ajmal is in the US.

Bashir Husain Kiany, a steno typist in the foreign ministry posted in Oman, reportedly obtained two fake passports for his brothers who had worked for the PTCL.

Muhammad Abul Fazl, Jannat Bibi, Muhammad Imran, Obaidullah and Anjum — BS-19 and BS-20 officers — allegedly sold their official passports (D-000461, E-331568, D-000493, D-001335 and S-014436) — to people who have travelled to France and Italy.

Three former members of the National Assembly, Ammanullah, Sahibzada Faizul Hasan and Asif Ali Sanjrani, allegedly allowed others to travel on their passports.