Prohibition lifted: PM Nawaz exempts IB from recruitment ban

Civilian intelligence agency briefs prime minister on the need for more manpower.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted a ban on recruitment in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the civilian agency of the country.

During his visit to the bureau where he was briefed on issues of national and external security on Friday, the prime minister removed the ban keeping in view the prevailing security situation in the country.

A month after the incumbent government was sworn in, the premier imposed an immediate ban on all recruitments in the federal government, including the IB, and also sought a review of all appointments made during the last five years, under the previous government’s rule.

According to officials, the prime minister had placed a ban to curtail the unchecked recruitment of personnel in the IB and other federal agencies, ministries and organisations.

In the IB’s presentation to Prime Minister Sharif, the agency officials briefed him about the critical situation of the intelligence outfit. IB is having a tough time due to its low manpower, forcing the bureau to outsource and rely on other branches of intelligence.

The premier lifted the ban after the briefing, but allowed the hiring of only those people whose recruitment had been finalised. He also approved proposals and recommendations to improve the capacity of the organisation through better human resource intake and procurement of state-of-the-art equipment. He directed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to accommodate the agency’s financial demands.

He was also briefed on the matters relating to internal and external security, besides actions against terrorism.



Stay on executions

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also directed the interior ministry to halt all executions until September 9.

He met President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday night at the President House, where the head of the state told the premier that his government had ordered a stay on death sentences of several accused terrorists and criminals for the five years as per the party policy.

President Zardari also suggested that the five-year moratorium on black warrants be extended till September 9, after which the new president Mamnoon Hussain can review the decision.

Since the authority to decide whether capital punishment should be implemented or not rests with the head of the state, Prime Minister Sharif directed the interior ministry to hold the pending executions.

Earlier, he had ordered a stay on executions on August 18 as well.

The previous government of the Pakistan Peoples Party had a no-capital-punishment policy and the moratorium - announced in 2008 - has delayed the civilian execution of more than 8,000 prisoners in the country.

Executions in military trials have been held though.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.