NAB job offer gets lukewarm response from FIA officers

Staff Report

KARACHI: A second attempt of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to lure officers of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into its fold has received a lukewarm response as only five assistant directors (ADs) and five sub-inspectors have so far responded positively to NAB’s fresh joining-on-deputation offer, sources apprised Daily Times.

The NAB had in September asked the deputy directors of all FIA wings in Karachi to provide it the names of those officers who were willing to join the Bureau after winding up of Anti Corruption and Economic Crime Wing of the latter, sources in interior ministry in Islamabad apprised Daily Times.

Talking to Daily Times on phone from Islamabad a senior official said NAB had assured the FIA officers that their seniority would include the period of service in the Agency and they would be given designation and promotion on the basis of their tenure of service in FIA.

However, only 120 FIA employees responded positively to NAB by the Sept. 26 deadline. A few weeks ago NAB again made the same offer to FIA officers but it again got a poor response from them.

According to a source in FIA, the agency had about 2, 600 employees on its payroll. Majority of lower cadre is part of immigration wing, which is not going to be merged in the NAB.

In Karachi, the agency’s strength is 783. But by November 10, only 10 employees had opted for NAB. Only a few people of the executive ranks had given consent for NAB, and they too are retiring in the next two to three years.

A senior FIA official at Director Office Karachi region said that most of the officers had apprehensions about the successful completion of their tenures. They wished to retain their ranks in FIA rather than get promoted in the NAB with an uncertain future, the official said. He said the NAB required 700 people of all ranks, but the officers rank employees were not willing to leave the FIA.

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