Significant progress has been made in the case of drug smuggling under the guise of free Umrah offers. A key local facilitator, who had gone into hiding, has been arrested. A team from the FIA Islamabad conducted a raid in the residential colony of Subra, Tarbela Dam, and apprehended the suspect, Zulfiqar Khokhar, from his residence. He has been transferred to Islamabad for further investigation, with major revelations and additional arrests expected in the coming days.
According to reports, the suspect allegedly facilitated the scheme on behalf of the prime accused, Tahir Hassan, a resident of Peshawar. Zulfiqar Khokhar reportedly lured a woman, Nasreen Akhtar, wife of Muhammad Ishaq, a resident of Subra City, Tarbela Dam, by offering her a free Umrah package. As per sources, on January 19, 2025, while departing for Jeddah from Islamabad Airport for Umrah, Tahir Hassan handed Nasreen Akhtar a six-kilogram pack of dry fruits and instructed her not to open it. Allegedly, the packet contained capsules filled with heroin, which the woman was unaware of.
She arrived in Jeddah via Airblue, but six to seven days later, she contacted her husband, Muhammad Ishaq, informing him that she had been arrested by Saudi police on drug smuggling charges after authorities discovered a large number of drug-filled capsules inside the dry fruit packet. Additionally, her real brother, who was already employed in Saudi Arabia and had gone to receive her at the airport, was also taken into custody.
Upon learning of her arrest, local facilitator Zulfiqar Khokhar locked his house and fled with his family. Sources reveal that he had been hiding at his sister’s residence in Rawalpindi, while FIA Islamabad was closely monitoring his movements. The suspect returned to his home recently, and at around 6:30 PM, an FIA team arrested him.
It is worth noting that a few days ago, Muhammad Ishaq had appealed to the Government of Pakistan for assistance, asserting that his wife was deceived into this drug smuggling case under the pretense of a free Umrah package. He maintained that neither he nor any member of his family had any involvement in drug smuggling. He urged the Pakistani government to intervene and negotiate with Saudi authorities for the release of his wife and her brother.
