ISLAMABAD - In a move to pacify Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and show him that 'action is being taken', Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the other day, made four junior officials scapegoat by booking them in cases of human smuggling while gave a clean chit to senior offices of immigration wing.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had taken notice of alleged involvement of the immigration staff of FIA in human smuggling from all over the country in general and at Benazir Bhutto Islamabad International Airport in particular, official sources in the ministry of interior informed. He had directed the Director General FIA Ghalib Ali Bandesha that severe action should be taken against the officials involved in such a heinous crime.
Official sources said that four FIA officials had been made scapegoat just to save the skin of some senior ones and soothe the interior minister who has shown a strong reaction on the alleged involvement of FIA officials in human smuggling.
Well-placed sources in FIA informed that four junior officials of immigration wing had been booked in two separate cases for allegedly facilitating some illegal passengers travelling on fake documents. "Yes, Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) Islamabad has booked four officials in this regard," an FIA official said on condition of anonymity.
According to details, ASI Uzma Mushtaq, two counter officials Aftab and Saifullah and Foot Constable Noman had been booked under the immigration ordinance.
No action has been taken against the shift in-charges, sub-inspectors and inspectors who were present at the duty when FIA staff facilitated passengers travelling on fake identities, besides a deputy director rank officer who oversees all the affairs of the immigration at every airport, an official of FIA commented on condition of anonymity. He said that such practice had been observed in the past in the agency when some accused in the Punjab Bank scam had travelled abroad despite the fact their names were on the exit control list (ECL).
The Nation a couple of days ago broke the story when interior minister was away from his official work because of his differences with his party leadership, the FIA taking benefit of the situation had allegedly helped some people travel abroad on fake identities. Before, two separate reports had been published about alleged involvement of FIA officials in human smuggling.
An internal enquiry of FIA has proven involvement of a number of officials of its immigration wing in human smuggling but FIA is not only reluctant to take action against them but most of them are also enjoying the same posts in the immigration staff. The enquiry report has proved a number of officials guilty but no conclusive recommendations were made against the accused in the report.
Interior Minister Chauhdry Nisar Ali Khan had censured the FIA top boss asking why an enquiry initiated in October 2013 against FIA immigration wing for its alleged involvement in human smuggling was completed with inconclusive recommendations. The DG FIA under the directions of interior minister had launched an internal enquiry through FIA's internal accountability units at all its four zonal offices on some credible reports of its immigration wing's involvement in human smuggling.