Reporting snapshot · 22 September 2026. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said it has busted an alleged network that produced and circulated fake apostille stickers and forged official stamps in connivance with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials in Islamabad, registering a case against 22 suspects including six ministry staff. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar separately ordered a three-member inquiry into the apostille and document-attestation system. The account rests on the FIA's statements as reported by Dawn, The News International, Pakistan Today and The Express Tribune, and on Dar's notification as reported by Geo News. The allegations remain under investigation, and no court has determined the guilt of the accused.
What happened
The FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) in Islamabad said it has dismantled an alleged network engaged in the preparation, distribution and use of counterfeit apostille stickers, forged official seals and fraudulent documents in collusion with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials, following raids on consultancy and courier offices in Aabpara.
According to an FIA official quoted by Dawn and Pakistan Today, the ACC conducted the raids at several consultancy and courier offices operating from the basement of F&F Plaza in Aabpara on the basis of information received from reliable sources. The agency registered Case No. 48/2026 against 22 suspects under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 — provisions covering cheating, forgery, use of forged documents and abetment.
The case names 16 private suspects associated with seven consultancy and courier firms — Sofi Consultants, Excellent Courier Service (ECS), Leopards Courier Services at F&F Plaza, RAAK Consultancy, Noon Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, GM Consultants and Fair Line Service — alongside six MOFA officials, including personnel tasked with document attestation and apostille authentication duties.
The FIA alleged that applicants were charged hefty amounts on the promise of expediting apostille and document-attestation services, and that bribes were allegedly paid to ministry officials to facilitate the process, The News International reported. The agency said fake apostille stickers had been circulated at different locations across Pakistan, raising concerns about the misuse of official documentation and possible losses to the national exchequer.
A court granted three-day physical remand of the arrested suspects, while Inspector Arslan Masood Khan is investigating the case, according to Pakistan Today and Dawn. The operation was conducted on the directions of the Director of the FIA Islamabad Zone under the supervision of the Deputy Director of the ACC. The FIA Islamabad Zone said action would continue against those involved in corruption and forgery in public institutions, whether government officials or private individuals. Dawn reported on Tuesday that the probe into the attestation system was being expanded.
Why it matters
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the signature of a public official on a document, allowing it to be presented directly to authorities in another member country of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention without further attestation, Geo News explained in its reporting on Dar’s inquiry. Pakistan acceded to the convention in 2023, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally launched the apostille system on August 21, 2024, with Dar presiding over the ceremony. Documents are submitted through five notified courier companies, while the ministry and its liaison offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujrat process apostille applications.
The system sits at the centre of a service that Pakistanis at home and abroad rely on for education, legal, employment and immigration purposes. An alleged racket producing fake apostille stickers therefore raises questions not only about money collected from applicants but about the integrity of official documents presented to foreign universities, employers and immigration authorities.
The FIA action followed, and now runs in parallel with, a political-level response. Geo News reported that Dar took notice of a Geo News report regarding irregularities in the apostille and document-attestation system and constituted a three-member inquiry committee. According to a notification issued by the DPM’s office on Friday, 18 September, Petroleum Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh will act as convener, with Law Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar and Special Secretary Finance Qamar Sarwar Abbasi as members. The committee has been tasked with identifying any misuse or irregularities in the system, reviewing the role of courier services, determining whether Foreign Office officials were involved, and recommending reforms — with findings due within two weeks.
The case is the latest FIA-led enforcement against financial crime and official corruption. In March, the interior and finance ministries approved a nationwide crackdown on money laundering and hawala-hundi, forming a joint SBP-FIA working group to police illegal outflows, and the FIA has continued to pursue cases involving forged documents and fraud in public institutions.
What is still uncertain
The immediate questions are the scale of the alleged network and how far the investigation reaches. The FIA has said the probe is being expanded and that further action would be taken against anyone involved, but it has not said how many additional suspects it expects to name or what total sums were collected through the alleged racket. Dawn reported on 22 September that the probe into the attestation system was being expanded, indicating the case record is still developing.
The parallel inquiry adds a second layer of uncertainty. The DPM’s three-member committee has two weeks to report on procedural lapses, the role of courier companies and the possible involvement of ministry officials, but its findings are administrative and do not by themselves determine criminal liability. Whether the FIA case and the committee reach the same conclusions — and whether the ministry’s attestation service changes in the interim — remains to be seen.
Finally, the allegations have not been tested in court. The six ministry officials named in the case were booked on the basis of the FIA’s complaint, and neither they nor the 16 private suspects have been found guilty of any offence. As with any FIA investigation, the charges and any eventual trial will determine whether the network operated as alleged and what penalties follow.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 22 September 2026. The account of the FIA operation and the bookings rests on the agency's statements as reported by Dawn, The News International, Pakistan Today and The Express Tribune; the account of Dar's inquiry rests on Geo News. The allegations remain under investigation.
- Dawn — FIA busts fake apostille network involving MoFA officials20 September 2026 · Primary report of the raids, Case No. 48/2026, the PPC and Prevention of Corruption Act charges, the 22 bookings, the firms and the three-day physical remand.
- The News International — FIA busts counterfeit apostille sticker racket21 September 2026 · Independent confirmation of the dismantled network, the six Foreign Office personnel named, the alleged fees and bribes, and the nationwide circulation of fake stickers.
- Pakistan Today — FIA busts fake apostille racket, books 22 including six MOFA officials20 September 2026 · Independent confirmation of the 22 bookings, the raiding team, the court remand and Inspector Arslan Masood Khan's investigation.
- The Express Tribune — Fake apostille network busted21 September 2026 · Independent confirmation of the raid, the case number and the six MOFA officials named in the network.
- Geo News — DPM orders inquiry into alleged irregularities in MoFA's apostille, attestation system19 September 2026 · Official notification establishing the three-member inquiry committee, its mandate and two-week deadline, and background on the apostille system.
