—FIA DG constitutes six-member committee under Wajid Zia to probe matter of illegal appointments in agency
—Committee terms absorption of FIA Legal Assistant Director Ayazul Haq as illegal
—Committee allows 118 employees of grade 7 to continue working for FIA
ISLAMABAD: A six-member committee headed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director Wajid Zia has given the recommendation to send back 21 officers of grade 14 to 18 from the agency to their parent departments, it has been reliably learned.
Documents available with Pakistan Today disclosed that the illegal absorption and political appointments of government officers and employees in FIA have been continuing for the last 20 years in FIA.
FIA Director General (DG) Bashir Memon, in compliance/recommendations of the judgment of a 2016 decision of the Supreme Court (SC), constituted a six-member committee under Wajid Zia to probe the matter of illegal absorption and induction in FIA since 1997.
The committee then initiated an investigation in the light of the SC decisions, Civil Servants Act 1973 and FIA rules 1975. After 15 meetings of the committee, it was revealed that so far 170 officers and employees have been absorbed by FIA from other government departments.
The committee had recommended sending back 21 officers, falling between grade 14 to 18, to their parent departments. The committee, however, allowed 118 employees of grade 7 to continue working for FIA.
Further, the committee allowed those 19 employees to continue their jobs who were absorbed in FIA from the surplus pool.
Similarly, the committee declared that the absorption of FIA Legal Assistant Director Ayazul Haq was illegal. However, while accepting Ayazul Haq’s request for early retirement, the committee had recommended not to send him back to his parent organisation and allow him to continue working for the agency.
It is pertinent to mention here that the six-member committee had recommended canceling all illegal appointments in the agency but fell short of recommending any action against those who were responsible for making the illegal appointments.
FIA officials, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a six-member committee was formed on the advice of DG Bashir Memon. The committee reviewed all cases in a fair and transparent manner. The officials also said that all officers and employees were given the right to appear for a personal hearing to prove their innocence and provide evidence to the committee.
After the removal of the 21 officers, the workload on FIA officials and staff would increase as FIA was currently facing a shortage of staff after the formal inauguration of the New Islamabad International Airport, where many staff members have been deployed, the officials added.
In an apparent bid to strengthen their influence in FIA, politicians and businessmen had been lobbying for the illegal absorption of numerous officers and employees of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Communication and Works Department, Senate Secretariat, police, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and other government departments after 1997.
