LAHORE – The FIA Director General in a letter to the Interior Secretary, pointed out the maneuvering of postings on deputation in FIA by officers of different departments, sources in FIA told on Thursday.
Sources disclosed that DG FIA in his letter said, “At present, 64 officers (BS-17 to 20) are working on deputation basis in FIA. In view of above, it is requested to kindly check and discourage the growing tendency of posting officers from unconcerned departments to FIA without observing procedural requirements”.
All these officers got posted on deputation with prior approval of Minister Interior.
The letter further speaks, “It is worth mentioning that in accordance with Rule 12 of FIA (Appointment Postings and Transfer) (APT) Rules 1975, the officers belonging to six groups namely Investigation, Accounts, Custom, Income Tax Engineering and Legal having relevant experience / expertise are only entitled to be taken in FlA on deputation against vacancies reserved for direct recruitment and that too on the recommendations of the Departmental Selection Committee provided in the rules.
As mentioned in the beginning, a number of officers and even contractual employees from departments having no relevance with the functions of the FIA have stormed into FIA without due regard to requisite procedural formalities or rules”.
“Most of these deputationists lack the requisite experience, length of service laid down in the recruitment rules. Their subsequent postings against staff and operational assignment is creating administrative problems and resentment amongst senior officers of FIA who deem it an infringement upon their rights and ultimately take up legal battle to oust them or stop their intake into the department. One such instance is a Writ Petition filed by FIA Officers in the Islamabad High Court Islamabad, whereas Supreme Court of Pakistan has also directed to file a report in this regard.
Besides the cases of the officers already working on deputation in FIA, officers who do not fulfill the laid down criteria, also need to be reconsidered.
It would be advisable to allow deputation of officers from the relevant above indicated six groups only on the need basis and that too for those eligible officers alone who fulfill the laid down criteria for the FIA.