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A scandal has emerged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) transport department. The department allegedly issued fake driving licenses to Pakistanis living in Australia and Hong Kong. This revelation caused considerable concern and led to international scrutiny.

The Pakistan High Commission and Consulate in Australia informed the KP Ministry of Transport that Australian authorities have identified several fake driving licenses issued to people from Punjab and other parts of Pakistan. This situation raised serious doubts among the Australian authorities about the integrity of these licenses.

Additionally, Hong Kong"s Independent Anti-Corruption Commission contacted Pakistan"s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and highlighted that 89 Pakistanis allegedly obtained fake driving licenses from the KP Transport Department. This international attention has brought the issue to the fore and requires immediate action.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Islamabad has taken note of the situation.

On May 29, the agency wrote to Secretary General Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry expressing concern over the damage to Pakistan"s image and demanding accountability and a thorough investigation.KP Transport Department earlier issued a notification on November 29, 2021, according to which only KP residents can get LTV, HTV and PSV permits. However, this policy seems to have been circumvented in these scams.Former Transport Director KP Zeeshan Abdullah announced that action has been taken against the Deputy Director and Deputy Director of MIS and the department"s software has been updated to prevent future incidents.

In addition, guidelines for biometric authentication of permits have been sent to NADRA with the aim of improving the authenticity and reliability of the process.