Pakistan, Interpol have achieved concrete results together: DG FIA

Director General (DG) Sanaullah Abbasi of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), who also has another portfolio as Interpol Pakistan chief, has said they have managed to achieve concrete results due to joint efforts.

As Interpol head in Pakistan, Abbasi aims to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all crime police authorities within the limits of the laws in different countries and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Speaking with The News on Monday, he said the FIA is a legitimate entity to interact with law enforcement agencies to establish and develop all institutions likely to contribute effectively to the prevention and suppression of the ordinary law crimes. Moreover, he said, it was strictly forbidden for the organisation to undertake any activity pertaining to military, political, racial and religious backgrounds.

On a query, Abbasi said the UN General Assembly is Interpol’s supreme governing body comprising a representative from each of the member countries. It meets once a year and each session lasts around four days. Its purpose is to ensure that Interpol’s activities correspond to the needs of our member countries.

The executive committee is the governing body incharge of supervising the execution of the General Assembly’s decisions and the administration and work of the General Secretariat. It meets three time a year and sets the organisation’s policy and direction. Supervise the administration and work of the secretary general.

Interpol programmes

FIA chief Abbasi said there were three major programmes -- counterterrorism, organised and emerging crime and cybercrime. For counterterrorism, the member countries are being assisted in preventing and disrupting terrorist activities through the identification of individuals, network and affiliates.

The organised and emerging crime programme is for targeting and disrupting international criminal networks, identifying, analysing and responding to criminal threats, while the cybercrime programme is for making cyberspace safe for all by supporting member countries to prevent and investigate cyberattacks.

DG Abbasi said the Interpol’s databases include stolen administrative documents, stolen and lost travel documents database, stolen motor vehicles databases, digital Interpol alert library-document, Interpol DNA gateway, facial recognition and automated fingerprint identification system.

Pakistan became a member of the ICPC (International Criminal Police Commission) in 1952. The ICPC was renamed in 1956 as ICPO (International Criminal Police Organization). The National Central Bureau (NCB) Pakistan was set up in 1957 under the constitution of the ICPO.

The FIA director general noted that since the year 2011 the NCB-Interpol Pakistan had carried out 436 extraditions.

Fugitive Investigation Unit

DG FIA Sanaullah Abbasi said international cooperation among the NCBs is based on mutual relations, but extraditions from Pakistan are almost nil, which is affecting mutual cooperation at the platform of Interpol.

In the past, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the FIA was designated a police station to deal with extradition matters. Since the SIU is non-functional, there is no designated police station to deal with extradition matters.

A fugitive Investigation Unit is proposed to be established at the NCB under a designated AD with at least one member in each FIA Circle.

On a query, Abbasi said future plans included the appointment of a designated focal person or a focal point in each district police office, city police office and capital city police office to look into the matters of NCB Interpol on an urgent basis as suggested in NCB Quality Standards. Moreover, there will be a designated focal person or a focal point in the Directorate General of Immigration and Passport.