Pakistan

I can step down and end the standoff: DG FIA

Race for the top slot of FIA gains momentum as DG Waseem Ahmad declares he is willing to quit voluntarily.

Zahid Gishkori March 06, 2011 1 min read

ISLAMABAD:

The race for the top slot of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has gained momentum since Director General Waseem Ahmad declared he is willing to quit voluntarily.

The DG FIA was talking to the media after the Establishment Division informed the Supreme Court on Saturday that the government could not at present dispense with his services.“My fate is hanging in the balance amid an apparent confrontation between two state institutions,” the DG said. “The executive wishes to take advantage of my expertise, whereas the other institution wants me to go. I am being forced to leave my office without any justification,” he said.

The one-page reply stated that the government could not terminate Waseem Ahmad’s services since he is supervising several sensitive security-related plans, say sources close to the development. Establishment Division Secretary Abdul Rauf Chaudhry would only confirm that the government submitted its reply in answer to the latest direction issued by the Supreme Court but he could not say whether Waseem Ahmad would continue to serve as the DG FIA. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had directed the government to remove Waseem Ahmad by Friday on the expiry of the three-day deadline.

“Who will be DG FIA’s successor?” is a question frequently asked by senior bureaucrats, according to an official.Interior Minister Rehman Malik presided over a meeting to select a suitable candidate for the office of DG FIA, earlier this week, officials said. The names of Additional DG FIA Javaid Bokhari, Inspector General (IG) Islamabad Wajid Durrani, RPO Hyderabad Mushtaq Shah and Additional Secretary Interior Ministry Asim Nawaz were proposed for the post, they disclosed. The final decision will be taken by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The presidency may also recommend two names for the new DG FIA. They are IG Islamabad Wajid Durrani and Regional Police Officer Hyderabad Mushtaq Shah, informed sources told The Express Tribune. Rehman Malik wants to appoint DIG Operations Islamabad Bani Amin as IG Islamabad while he would like Wajid Durrani to assume the charge of DG FIA, they added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2011.