40 held for issuing fake certificates

Authorities in Pakistan have arrested more than 40 people for issuing fake vaccination certificates, as Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government looks to safely reopen the economy.

The arrests took place over the past month and a half, Sanaullah Abbasi, director general at Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, said at a briefing in Islamabad on Monday.

“Such illegal and immoral acts not only endanger the lives of the people but also put the country’s prestige at risk globally,” Abbasi said.

Khan is seeking to reopen the economy as a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic ebbs. The government wants to fully vaccinate 70 million people by December.