UK tabloid ready to face Pak lawsuit over fictitious 'visa scam' report

London, July 26 (ANI): British tabloid - The Sun - has said it sticks to its claim of Pakistanis being involved in a London Olympics-related 'visa scam' worth a million rupees, and added that it is ready to face court on the matter.

The Sun maintained it was in possession of solid evidence to support its claims.

According to The News, The Sun had claimed that it had infiltrated a crime ring offering false passports, visas and access to London 2012 as bogus support staff.

It claimed further to have uncovered a ring of corrupt Pakistani officials and travel staff conspiring with a prominent politician to bypass stringent security, but the paper admitted that no visas were issued and that a passport was made only after strikingly similar pictures were produced of one the people involved in the operation.

The tabloid claimed they carried the report in the citizens' interest.

The tabloid said its undercover reporter was offered the chance to go to the Olympics posing as an official member of the Pakistani contingent on a two-month visa.

"The cabinet ordered the NADRA (the National Database Registration Authority) to file a defamation suit (against the paper) after consulting the law ministry," Pakistan Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said.

Pakistan's Olympic chef de mission Aqil Shah also dismissed The Sun's claims earlier this week.

Pakistan's 39-strong delegation, excluding Shah, is already in London and consists of 23 athletes and 16 officials. (ANI)