Visas for Pak nationals under police scanner

VADODARA: Panchmahal police suspect major irregularities in sponsorship certificates issued for visas of Pakistani nationals visiting the district. Several residents of the district - particularly Godhra - have relatives in Pakistan who apply for visas.
Top brass of Panchmahal police had received inputs rega-rding sponsorship certificates. There was also sudden rise in number of Pakistani nationals arriving in the district."There were around 100 visitors from Pakistan in 2012, but the number rose to 800 in 2013 and this year we already have around 1,800 visitors. There was an exponential rise and we decided to look into the matter," said Panchmahal superintendent of police Raghavendra Vatsa.
Vatsa added that a copy of a sponsorship certificate was obtained from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The certificate furnished by the High Commission was for Faizan Shabir. The sponsor for Shabir was Aslam Hafiz from Godhra. As per the procedures, the photographs of the sponsor have to be pasted on the certificate and it has to be signed in the presence of a gazetted officer who has to stamp and sign the certificate stating that he knows the sponsor. It transpired that the form was signed by a head constable B B Pateliya, who had also attached a copy of his identity card with the form. The stamp was however of the police inspector of B Division police station in Godhra. Pateliya has denied that he signed the document.
The sponsor Aslam Hafiz told the police that while Faizan Shabir was his relative, he did not go to get the certificate signed. He has stated that he had given it to Ramzani Zuzara who had done the needful. Zuzara is a prominent BJP Minority Morcha worker in Godhra.
An offence regarding the dubious certificate was registered by local intelligence branch police inspector C C Khatana. Vatsa said nobody had been made accused in the case presently and this would be done during the course of investigations.