A fraudster who sent 92 Pakistani nurses to Saudi Arabia on fake documents in an elaborate scam to provide workers for short-staffed Gulf hospitals has been jailed for 41 years.

Ghulam Zulfiqar Ali used forged experience certificates, created fake verification QR codes and phoney employment platform IDs.

Ali was being paid by the Saudi authorities to find staff, but also charged genuine Pakistani nurses who wanted a job overseas, in a racket that has caused major embarrassment to the Pakistan’s authorities.

Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia are experiencing a severe shortage of nurses, compounded by rapid population growth, a rising burden of chronic diseases, and heavy dependence on nurses from abroad.

The World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts a global shortfall of 4.5 million nurses by 2030, and recruiting nurses for developed countries is a lucrative trade.

The 91 women were all genuine nurses, but did not meet the criteria for the “Nurse Highly Qualified” visa category under which they were…