ISLAMABAD: Two officials of passport and immigration department involved in corruption by extending visa of foreigners were arrested Sunday on the orders of the Interior Minister.

According to a press release issued by the Interior Ministry on Sunday, the ministry had received a complaint that money was extorted from a foreigner by the officials of Karachi passport office for granting extension in his visa.

Taking a serious notice of the complaint, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest the two accused officials, including an assistant director of the office.

The minister has directed FIA to recover the money extorted by the accused, besides broadening the scope of the inquiry so as to identify other accomplices of the accused officials.

The minister has also ordered withdrawal of certain powers from the officials of passport and immigration department that allowed them to grant extension in visas to the foreigners for a certain period.

Henceforth, all visa extension cases would be decided by the Interior Ministry.—PR