Islamabad, October 10,2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the alleged suicide of Laiba Ijaz, a graduate of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), who reportedly discovered that an immigration consultant had provided her with fake documents for admission to a US university.
The prime minister described the incident as extremely tragic and directed the Islamabad inspector general of police and chief commissioner to ensure the immediate arrest of the suspect accused of defrauding the student. He said those responsible would face exemplary punishment in accordance with the law, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Laiba’s body was reportedly found hanging by the roadside in Islamabad’s G-10 sector, within the jurisdiction of Ramna police station. Police said the investigation was underway and that the actual cause of death would be determined after receipt of the post-mortem report.
According to her family, Laiba had completed her bachelor’s degree from IIUI with a gold medal and wanted to pursue higher education abroad.
The family said an immigration consultant had demanded Rs7 million to arrange her admission to a US university. Her father, who reportedly sold milk on a motorcycle while living with his family in a rented flat, sold his plot and paid Rs2.1 million in cash to the agent, they added.
Her mother’s jewellery was also deposited with a bank to arrange the remaining amount, according to the family.
They said Laiba discovered the fraud when she had the admission documents verified. She subsequently sent a final message to her maternal uncle, asking him not to tell her father about the alleged fraud because, she feared, he would be devastated by the news.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the interior ministry had taken notice of the incident and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate immediate action against those responsible.
He said the FIA director general was working on the case and that an FIA director had also met the victim’s parents. The minister added that those involved would be brought to justice.
FIA Director Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari confirmed that the agency had launched an initial inquiry into the alleged fraud and said a case would be registered after the inquiry was completed.
According to Bukhari, the suspect allegedly defrauded Laiba of Rs7.2 million on the pretext of securing her admission to a foreign university. The suspect also allegedly took Rs500,000 from her brother by promising to arrange a job for him.
The FIA director said the suspect allegedly posed as an employee of the Supreme Court or an officer of a government institution to gain people’s trust.
Bukhari added that Laiba had planned to surprise her family on October 12 with the news of her admission to Harvard University. However, two days before the planned announcement, she had her university registration certificate verified and discovered that it was fake.
The FIA director also confirmed that Laiba had sent her final message to her maternal uncle.
Police and the FIA are examining different aspects of the case. The allegations against the suspect remain subject to investigation.
