Inquiry head made OSD after Minute Mirror report on alleged attestation irregularities

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has transferred Director General (CMU/Audit) Dr. Ahmed Ali Sirohey and posted him as Officer

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has transferred Director General (CMU/Audit) Dr. Ahmed Ali Sirohey and posted him as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), shortly after Daily Minute Mirror reported alleged irregularities involving document attestation and verification services.

According to an official notification available with Minute Mirror, the transfer has been made with immediate effect and will remain in place until further orders.

The notification, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 16, 2026, is numbered Estt (II)-34/2/2026 and states that Ahmed Ali Sirohey, Director General (CMU/Audit), has been transferred and posted as OSD.

The notification, signed by Director (Personnel-I) Tanveer Ahmed, was issued for publication in Part-I of the Gazette of Pakistan.

The development comes after an investigative report by Daily Minute Mirror concerning alleged financial irregularities in the process of attestation and verification of official documents by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Allegations under inquiry

Minute Mirror had reported allegations that approximately Rs12 billion had been collected or allegedly extorted from members of the public in connection with document attestation and verification services.

The report raised questions regarding the procedures followed for the collection of fees and the handling of public funds. It also contained allegations involving senior officials of the Foreign Office.

These allegations have not been established as facts by a court, and the ministry’s official notification does not state that Sirohey’s transfer was connected to the reported allegations.

Following the allegations, an inquiry was conducted by a team headed by DG Audit Dr. Ahmed Ali Sirohey. The inquiry was tasked with examining the issues raised regarding the attestation and verification process.

Inquiry head transferred

The subsequent transfer of the inquiry team’s head has drawn attention within the Foreign Office, particularly because Sirohey was involved in examining the alleged irregularities.

Officials familiar with the matter told Minute Mirror that the officer had played a role in identifying and examining concerns related to the process.

A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned the timing of the transfer and said, “The person who identified the corruption has been made OSD.”

The official described the development as raising concerns about whether officers involved in highlighting alleged irregularities were being adequately protected.

However, the reasons for Sirohey’s transfer have not been officially disclosed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The notification simply states that he has been posted as OSD with immediate effect and until further orders.

Questions over transparency

The development has raised questions regarding transparency, institutional accountability and the handling of internal inquiries within the Foreign Office.

The key issue now is whether the inquiry into the alleged attestation-related irregularities will continue independently following the transfer of its head and whether the findings of the inquiry will be made public.

Minute Mirror understands that the allegations involve the handling of document attestation and verification services, an area that directly affects thousands of citizens requiring official documents for use abroad.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not, in the notification, provided any explanation linking Sirohey’s transfer to the allegations or disclosed the findings of the inquiry.

Further developments are expected to clarify the reasons behind the transfer and the status of the inquiry into the alleged financial irregularities.