ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to crack down on people making fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates to benefit those refusing to participate in the country’s official immunization drive, reported the local media on Wednesday.
According to Dawn, the National Command and Operations Centers (NCOC), which oversees the country’s pandemic response, instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to act against people making the certificates.
Media reports maintained in August some health department officials in Karachi were manipulating the system by registering unvaccinated people through a software provided by the National Database Registration Authority to generate fake certificates for Rs2,000.
The government also launched an app last month for anyone who wanted to verify COVID-19 certificates issued by Pakistan.
“In a statement, the NCOC said the FIA has widened its scope of investigation and launched a crackdown against such people [making fake certificates],” Dawn reported. “As a result, suspects have been arrested in different cities and the data of citizens who had gotten fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates has been collected.”
The report added the authorities were going to take legal action against the culprits after completing their investigations.
Pakistan recorded 2,714 new coronavirus cases and 73 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The country began its immunization campaign in last February and has so far fully vaccinated about 22.87 million people.
Pakistan launches crackdown against fake vaccine certificates, arrests suspects
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Pakistan launches crackdown against fake vaccine certificates, arrests suspects
- Media reports said last month some health department officials were manipulating the system to generate fake certificates
- The FIA has already arrested suspects in different cities and collected data of citizens who benefitted from these certificates
Pakistan Navy seizes $3 million of narcotics in Arabian Sea under regional security patrol
- Official statement says the haul was made during an anti-narcotics operation conducted by PNS Yamama
- Seizure comes after a record haul of nearly $972 million was reported in the North Arabian Sea in October
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy said on Sunday a patrol vessel operating in the Arabian Sea had seized 1,500 kg of narcotics, the latest interdiction under a regional maritime security deployment aimed at curbing illicit activity along key shipping routes.
The operation took place under the Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP), a Pakistan-led initiative that deploys naval assets across the Arabian Sea and adjoining waters to deter smuggling, piracy and other non-traditional security threats.
The framework combines independent patrols with coordination involving regional and international partners.
“Pakistan Navy Ship Yamama, while deployed on Regional Maritime Security Patrol in the Arabian Sea, successfully conducted an anti-narcotics operation, leading to the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of hashish valued at approximately 3 million US dollars,” the Navy said.
The interdiction, it added, underscored the force’s “unwavering commitment to combating illicit activities and ensuring security in the maritime domain.”
Pakistan Navy said it routinely undertakes RMSP missions to safeguard national maritime interests through “robust vigilance and effective presence at sea,” and continues to play a proactive role in collaborative maritime-security efforts with other regional navies.
The seizure comes amid heightened counter-narcotics activity at sea.
In October, a Pakistani vessel seized a haul worth nearly $972 million in what authorities described as one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.
Last month, Pakistan Navy units operating under a Saudi Arabia-led multinational task force seized about 2,000 kg of methamphetamine, valued at roughly $130 million, highlighting the role of regional cooperation in disrupting trafficking networks.
