The Federal Investigation Agency conducted raids at a NADRA registration office in Charsadda and made arrests of an Assistant Director along with three others. Weapons, documents, and objectionable material have been found by the agency. The FIA claims that the network extends beyond the four arrested individuals.
CHARSADDA: Four NADRA employees were apprehended by the Federal Investigation Agency in connection with the raid conducted at a National Database and Registration Authority registration office in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The NADRA, FIA, and CNIC arrests in Charsadda 2026 are aimed at a gang accused of forging Computerised National Identity Cards of Afghan nationals, which is considered to be among the most dangerous and sensitive cases of identity card forgery in Pakistan considering the security concerns, voter registration, property deals, and other matters of state business involved in it.
FIA Claims vs. What Has Been Found So Far
In the FIA NADRA CNIC arrest case, which took place in Charsadda, the main allegation is that the four individuals used their status as officials at a registration office run by NADRA to distribute Computerised National Identity Cards to Afghan citizens who did not qualify to get the cards. The CNIC card is not a mere identification card; it gives the cardholder many privileges such as access to bank accounts, SIM card registration, property ownership, travel permits, and voting rights among others.
Waqar Ahmad The Official Under Investigation Already
It has been revealed by the FIA that Assistant Director Waqar Ahmad, who is the highest-ranking official amongst the four officials arrested in the aforementioned operation conducted by the FIA, NADRA, CNIC, Charsadda, was under investigation in various other cases at the time he was arrested. It seems strange that an official was involved in an ongoing investigation while serving as Assistant Director in a registration office of NADRA.
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The Network Is Bigger Raids Are Still Ongoing
As revealed by the FIA, the arrest of four people was merely the first step towards a much bigger operation. According to the agency, raids are still being conducted in an effort to catch more facilitators suspected of having a part in this network. This revelation confirms that the process of issuing fraudulent CNICs not only involved those four people who were arrested during their activity at the Charsadda center but also other people across the country who are believed to be a part of this wider network.
FIA Enforcement Big Picture Karachi Sea Ports in May
The arrests in Charsadda are part of a series of efforts made by FIA in various areas during 2026. In May, fines worth Rs7 million were imposed on some foreign/local crewmen working at Karachi Sea Port and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim.
In 2026, when the arrests for FIA’s NADRA CNIC took place in Charsadda as well as when there were enforcement efforts at Pakistan’s two largest ports, these cases show how an organization is working within its full capacity, from maintaining the authenticity of identification cards in land-based registration centers to enforcement at the country’s two most important ports. In particular, the Charsadda case, which involves national security issues due to Afghan identification documents, is much more politically significant than enforcing port fines.
