Combo of terrorism and misuse of authority in FIA.
BY: Syed Fawad Ali Shah
FIA is one of the leading investigation agency of Pakistan which not only deals
with the cases of white collar and syndicated crimes such anti-Corruption, human
trafficking, Counter Terrorism on federal level. Since the appointment of its
incumbent DG FIA in the previous regime of N-league, he engulfed FIA with the
PSP officers of his own choice. But his favorite most is an officer of BS-18
(now in BS-19), belonging to a tribal family of Sindh. According to an official
list of political appointments in Sindh Provincial police services this
gentleman, who hails from Jacobabad in Sindh, was appointed on the
recommendations from secretary to the then Provincial Minister Nisar Ahmed
Khuhro in the 90s. He is one of the 21 police officers who had been inducted
into police in violation of all rules and regulations. They were appointed as
DSPs in Sindh Police in BS-17 due to political considerations instead of merit.
This officer was fortunate enough to be inducted in the prestigious PSP cadre.
But after joining FIA under the blessings of the incumbent DG, this officer has
excelled par excellence in manipulating the reigns of this God forsaken
organization. There is a long list of his abuse of authority and misuse of power
in FIA, but only few can be discussed due to space. Since his posting in FIA
back in September 2017, he has been running all affairs of FIA as de facto DG.
Although he was in BS-18, but most of the time in FIA he was bestowed with the
additional charge of Director/ Law (a BS-20 post), two steps higher.
Interestingly in order to accommodate this officer, one serving BS-20 FIA
officer was made an escape goat in the most ridiculous manner. A new terminology
was coined as ‘’Closed to Headquarters” despite the fact that the said FIA
officer was posted in FIA Headquarters already. This was the brain child of the
incumbent DG FIA. During his entire posting in FIA, he kept at least two
lucrative positions at the same time. Most of the times he was Director FIA Law,
Additional Director FIA Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW), Additional Director FIA
Establishment, Additional Director FIA PIAB (Performance and Internal
Accountability Bureau), and Additional Director FIA Crime Circle Islamabad. In
an unprecedented manner, he has been given the charge of Additional Director
Establishment FIA HQ Islamabad in addition to his present posting as Additional
Director FIA ACC Karachi Sindh. It means this officer is so indispensable and
there is no competent FIA Officer available at the HQ to discharge the duties of
such lucrative office. Ironically he travels between Karachi and Islamabad on
the expanses of tax payers but claims TA/ DA. He displayed his absolute powers
by arresting, torturing and illegally confining in lockup a poor uniformed FIA
Constable who defied his illegal orders. He passed unlawful instructions for
registration of FIR against him. But the concerned SI and Director FIA Islamabad
Zone refused to do so. The constable filed complaint to FIA high ups and but due
to his influence, the enquiry proceedings were initiated against the poor
constable.
This officer likes to travel to northern areas but he prefers turning his
personal visits into officials ones and also claims TA/ Das. He, along with his
family, has been living in FIA Academy occupying two Executive Suits (called DG
Suits) and two other rooms for last 2 years but has not paid a single penny. He
got allotted one Flat at FIA Officers Colony G-8/2 and got it renovated with
lakhs of Rupees but did not get deductions from his ceiling unless it was
objected by AGPR and he had to pay unwillingly. Interestingly, he got allotted
one government residential apartment in Gulshan-e-Jinnah Islamabad by misusing
his official influence in the Ministry of Housing. He has been keeping two
official vehicles with unlimited fuel. When he was transferred from FIA HQ to
Karachi, he got two official vehicles Nos. GAA-504 & BBV-075 shifted with him.
All his belongings were shifted through FIA’s official vehicles but he claimed
for Transfer TA illegally. For his personal benefits of exorbitant TA/ DAs, he
got transferred an amount of Rs. 1.0 million from FIA HQ to FIA Karachi. As a de
facto DG, he recruited 5 persons on contingent basis due to his influence and
kept at least two with him as his personal servants. He even took one along with
him to Karachi as his personal servant. After a terrorist attack on a navy
dockyard in Karachi in September 2014, one perpetrator who was killed in the
shootout was a former navy sailor and the son of this influential officer who
was dismissed from the navy for his ‘religious views and undisciplined conduct’.
Sources told that he had remained in contact with his cop father from militant
training camp at Afghanistan. Later, forensic reports also confirmed that the
said terrorist had used his father’s service weapons during the terrorist attack
on Navy installations. After the issue of his son’s involvement in terrorist
attack, he was transferred to Baluchistan then Gilgit Baltistan and finally FIA.
In December 2018, one leading Intelligence Agency submitted a comprehensive
report about this influential officer suggesting that he might not be posted at
any sensitive position. But this officer is still in FIA and enjoying the most
important posts here with access to all the sensitive data relating to terrorism
and terrorists. If he was unable to protect his official weapon being misused by
his terrorist son then would he be able to protect such information to which he
is privy while discharging his duties in FIA? It is alleged that he has been a
top hunch man for DG FIA and he legitimatizes every illegitimate thing which he
has been tasked by the DG. It’s beyond understanding that despite all these
facts why the concerned authorities have closed their eyes. Are they waiting for
another horrific incident to clean our organizations from the persons having
such background?