207 relieved personnel re-join police

All officers from abolished Special Intelligence Agency join different police branches.

LAHORE: As many as 207 personnel of the abolished Special Intelligence Agency (SIA) have joined different branches of the police on the orders of the inspector general of police.

A total of 208 officials had been relieved on July 28, 2010. One of them had passed away from natural causes.

Out of the total, 158 have joined the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), 22 constables and drivers have been told to report to Police Motor Transport (MT) office while 27 ministerial staff have been directed to join different offices of Punjab Police.

After the SIA was abolished through a Home Department notification, on April 3, 2010, the employees were directed to report to the IG’s office. Almost a month before that an SIA office at 45-K Block Model Town had been targeted by terrorists.

The former SIA staffers later performed routine duties in CID (now CTD)  till July 28, 2010. On the date, they were suddenly relieved despite having been employed on a 3-year contract set to run till July, 2012.

The SIA was established under the Home Department on February 2, 1999. At that time it was called the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). It was responsible for collecting data regarding terrorists, and those involved in sectarian violence , Afghan trained boys, those returning from Afghan prisons, activists of banned outfits and the terror suspects whose names were placed in the fourth schedule under Anti Terrorism Act (ATA).

As many as 96 retired staffers of the Military Intelligence (MI), Inter services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Punjab Police were appointed by the SIA chairman Major (retired) Mushtaq during July and August, 2009 on two year-contracts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th,  2011.