In a major development, the Interior Ministry has placed the names of overseas recruiters on the Exit Control List (ECL) following their alleged involvement in a scam that led to 92 Pakistani nurses being sent to Saudi Arabia with fake documents.
This action comes in the wake of an intensive investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has been delving into the details of the fraudulent scheme.
The investigation has revealed that the nurses, who were initially hired under false pretenses, were deported once the deception was discovered.
Sources close to the matter have confirmed that the names of Ghulam Fareed and Mian Zulfiqar are currently on the ECL, and both individuals are set to face criminal charges as a result of their alleged involvement. The scam, which was perpetrated last year, involved a recruitment agency based in Rawalpindi that used counterfeit online verification reports to secure employment for the nurses in Saudi Arabia.
This fraudulent practice was not identified until routine online checks by Saudi officials uncovered the falsified documents.
The exposure of the scam led to the immediate dismissal and repatriation of the affected nurses, who had been working in Saudi Arabia for about a year before the fraud was revealed.
This incident not only affected the individuals directly involved but also tarnished the reputation of Pakistani healthcare professionals, underscoring the urgent need for more stringent regulations and oversight in the recruitment and verification processes for international employment.
