FIA DG’s posting becomes an issue

ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division has made transfers and postings in the federal bureaucracy. However, the appointment of the director general, Federal Investigation Agency, has become a mystery. According to sources, the interior ministry on Thursday entrusted the look-after charge of the FIA DG to BPS-21 police service officer and Additional FIA DG Saifullah Paracha but withdrew the notification after an hour.

The Establishment Division sources said the federal cabinet is vested with the authority to appoint the FIA DG, instead of the interior ministry and that was why the notification was withdrawn on technical grounds.

On the other hand, the interior ministry had also recommended a three-month extension in the employment term of former FIA DG Mohsin Hasan Butt. The Establishment Division has moved the extension summary to the ECP, but it has not approved it yet. After the approval from the ECP, the Establishment Division will forward the summary to the federal cabinet for approval.

In case the interior ministry sends the summary for the appointment of look-after DG or gives additional charge to any officer till the appointment of the regular FIA DG, even then the Establishment Division will take its approval from the federal cabinet.

The post of the FIA DG has been vacant since December 31, when Mohsin Hasan Butt retired. BPS-21 officer Mujtaba Hussain and BPS-20 officer Malik Aman have been made OSD. Both officers of the Secretariat Group were awaiting posting in the Establishment Division. Director Finance PMO, NESCOM Islamabad, Muhammad Afzal, has been transferred and appointed as chief finance and accounts officer of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, while the posting of Naseem Akhter to the same post has been cancelled.

Joint Secretary Ministry of Interior Tahir Ahsan has been directed to report to the Establishment Division. The services of director health ministry Dr Abdul Baseer Khan Achakzai have been returned to the Balochistan government. The notifications for these transfers and postings have been issued.