LONDON/PORT VILA/PARIS (The Thursday Times) — The Thursday Times ki taraf se ki gayi tafseeli tehqeeq mein, Ms Farhat Shahzadi, jo Farah Gogi ke farzi naam se bhi jani jati hain, se mansoob passport leak zahiran aik jaali—ya Photoshop kiya gaya—document hai.
Pakistan ke jail mein qaid sabiq wazir-e-azam aur PTI ke maujooda rehnuma Imran Khan aur un ki ahliya, sabiq first lady Bushra Bibi, ki qareebi saathi Ms Shahzadi, aik baar phir mubayyana passport leak ki wajah se social media par khasi tawajjo ka markaz ban gayi hain. Samne aane wale documents ke mutabiq, Shahzadi ko Vanuatu ki shehriyat mili hui lagti hai, jo shimali Australia ke saahil se taqreeban 2,000 kilometer door Oceania ke aik chhote jazair ke majmue ka hissa hai.
Sarmayakari ke badle shehriyat ke programs aalami ashrafiya mein bain-ul-aqwami safar ko chhupane ka aik maroof zariya hain, aur Pakistan ke baaz ameer tareen afraad ke liye bhi yehi sach hai. Lekin gardish mein mojood mubayyana passport ke bare mein The Thursday Times ki tehqeeq mein is document ke andar kai khamiyan saamne aayi hain jo is ki asliyat par shak daalti hain. Sab se numayan khami Ms Shahzadi ke passport mein darj "place of birth" se mutaalliq hai.
International standards for passport issuance are quite stringent, particularly regarding the identification of a person’s place of birth. Typically, passports acquired by naturalisation or citizenship by investment list both the city and country of birth to provide a clear and unambiguous understanding of the individual’s origin. This practice is crucial because numerous cities worldwide share the same name but are located in different countries. For example, the city name ‘Lahore’ exists not only in Pakistan but also in other countries, including India and potentially smaller, lesser-known locations in the United States.
The same can be said for an individual born in Dublin, Ireland, but who has acquired the citizenship of Vanuatu. Without blatantly stating that the individual was born in Ireland, it is impossible to distinguish between the city Dublin, Ireland or the city of Dublin, Ohio, in the United States, or the village of Dublin in Belarus. Without the specific country designation, the birthplace becomes vague and potentially misleading.
This detail assumes even greater importance in the context of passports issued by members of international groups like the Francophonie or the Commonwealth of Nations. Vanuatu, the country allegedly issuing Shahzadi’s passport, is a member of both these organisations. These groups are known to adhere to rigorous international legislation and standards that mandate the clear and precise identification of the passport holder’s birth country. This is to ensure the integrity of travel documents and to facilitate international travel and security procedures.
The absence of a country name next to the city of birth in the leaked passport thus not only deviates from these accepted international practices but also casts doubt on the document’s authenticity. Such an anomaly is not typically overlooked in official government-issued travel documents, especially by countries that are part of globally recognised organisations with strict documentation standards. This irregularity, therefore, significantly undermines the credibility of the passport in question and forms a key basis for The Thursday Times‘ conclusion that the passport is alleged to be a hoax.
It should be noted that Shahzadi is currently rogue and wanted for police questioning, with her last-known location ascertained to be Italy. She is alleged to have been complicit in harbouring wealth for the current PTI supremo, who is currently jailed on corruption charges, and his wife.
Despite the sensational claims made by various media outlets, The Thursday Times concludes that the passport in question circulating on social media is ostensibly a fabricated document.
