The prime suspect of multi-million rupee scam into the sale of diplomatic cars on fake documents -- chief protocol officer of the foreign office -- has been immediately transferred after all the evidences reportedly turned out to be against him.Investigations into the scam are still going on as some key players of this fraud continues to be transferred from their key positions, and transfer of Chief Protocol Officer Nazir Ahmed is being taken as a sign of a breakthrough in the investigations.
Another woman officer at the foreign office Amna Baloch working in the protocol wing has also been transferred as she too was facing allegations of involvement in the scam. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq has been given the additional charge of protocol officer till the appointment of a new chief protocol officer.
Earlier, appointment of chief protocol officer Nazir Ahmed as an ambassador to a foreign country was cancelled after the scam of diplomatic cars surfaced and his section was found to be centre of this whole activity taking place.
Talking to The News, Mohammad Sadiq confirmed that Nazir Ahmed had been replaced and he was holding the additional charge. He also confirmed that Amna Baloch was also replaced from the position which she was holding when the scam surfaced.
Rather, it was the NOC issued by Amna Baloch which was found fake and an FIR was registered by the customs department which is now investigating the scam. Baloch, however, did not elaborate that what was the urgency to remove these two officers working in the FO protocol wings without bringing proper replacement if these were routine transfers.
To a question, Sadiq confirmed that a major inquiry was still in process to determine facts. He promised to give more details about this scam on Tuesday. Earlier, sources said a multi-million rupees diplomatic cars duty evasion scam about the sale of imported cars on bogus NoCs was detected by the customs after it emerged that 58 diplomatic cars were sold in the market on bogus NoC.
Even an FIR was lodged by the Rawalpindi collectorate of customs in the unfolding events of this scam, which involved sale of cars of over two dozens foreign embassies at Islamabad. Those 58 diplomats, whose cars have been identified by the customs as sold on bogus NOC of the foreign office, are said to have quietly left the country after disposing of their expensive imported cars to Pakistani elite after evading duties with the help of protocol officials of the ministry of foreign affairs.
The FIR was lodged when during the investigations it surfaced that some top guns of the foreign office in the protocol section of the ministry were secretly pocketing millions of rupees in this new money game, after collaborating with foreign diplomats.