Man gets 41-year term for sending 92 nurses to Saudi Arabia on fake papers

A Pakistani court has sentenced an agent to 41 years in prison and ordered Rs9.2 million compensation after 92 nurses were sent to Saudi Arabia using fake experience certificates and deported.

ISLAMABAD: A court in Rawalpindi has sentenced a man to a total of 41 years in prison for his role in sending 92 Pakistani nurses to Saudi Arabia using fake experience certificates.

The court also ordered the main convict to pay Rs9.2 million in compensation to the affected nurses, with each victim entitled to Rs100,000.

The case involved the illegal recruitment and overseas placement of the nurses, who were sent to Saudi Arabia on falsified experience certificates. According to the case record, all 92 nurses were deported within a month of their arrival.

Judge Abdul Rehman Muhammad Arif of the Special Court (Central), Rawalpindi, announced the verdict on Sept. 23 in a case registered in 2024.

The main accused, Ghulam Zulfiqar Ali, also known as Mian Zulfiqar, was convicted on multiple charges relating to cheating, forgery, use of forged documents and violations of the Emigration Ordinance.

41-year sentence

According to the court’s warrant of conviction, Zulfiqar Ali received separate prison sentences under several provisions.

He was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs100,000 under Section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code for cheating.

He received another seven year sentence and a Rs100,000 fine under Section 468 of the PPC for forgery. A further seven years and a Rs100,000 fine were imposed under Section 471 for using forged documents.

The court also sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs200,000 under Section 18 of the Emigration Ordinance 1979.

Another 10 year sentence and Rs200,000 fine were imposed under Section 22 of the same ordinance.

The sentences will run concurrently, bringing the total sentence to 41 years.

In addition to the prison term and fines, the court ordered Zulfiqar Ali to pay Rs9.2 million in compensation to the 92 nurses under Section 544 A of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The compensation is calculated at Rs100,000 for each nurse.

The amount will be recovered as arrears of land revenue if necessary. If the convict fails to pay the compensation, he will face an additional six months of simple imprisonment.

The court directed that the compensation be deposited with the director of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Islamabad zone for distribution among the 92 nurses.

Accomplice gets three years

The second accused, Ghulam Fareed, was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs200,000 under Section 18 of the Emigration Ordinance 1979.

However, the court acquitted him of charges under Section 22 of the Emigration Ordinance as well as Sections 420, 468 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code, giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The case attracted attention because of the number of nurses involved and the use of allegedly fraudulent professional documents to facilitate their employment abroad.

The investigation was conducted by the FIA Islamabad zone. The agency said progress in the case was also regularly shared with the Prime Minister’s Office.

The conviction highlights the legal consequences of using fraudulent documents in overseas employment arrangements and the financial and professional risks faced by workers who rely on recruitment agents to secure jobs abroad.