NACTA admin head faces graft charges. PHOTO: FILE
Two senior officials of the reconstituted National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) have been found involved in corruption in procurement of goods and services and hiring of personnel.
A departmental inquiry and interior ministry’s investigations confirmed allegations of misuse of authority for personal gains against Khyzer Hayat Nagra, director administration and Zeeshan Anjum, assistant director administration.
Sources told the Express Investigation Cell (EIC) that the two officials, who face punitive action, have been barred from performing their duties.
According to the interior ministry’s inquiry, these officials had been using the names of senior NACTA officials and interior ministry bosses to cut controversial deals for procurement. These officials had hijacked the working of NACTA, sources claimed.
Hyder Ali, national coordinator at NACTA, said some officials were misusing their official position and that he had brought the matter into the notice of the prime minister in writing. “I submitted to the prime minister a report on wrongdoings in hiring in NACTA and it resulted in halting the entire process,” he added. Nagra and Anjum released a wanted ad in the press without obtaining approval from the competent authority, sources said.
NACTA had advertised hundreds of posts a few months ago and sent a summary containing names of 192 shortlisted candidates to the interior ministry for approval. The summary, signed by Zeeshan Anjum, a grade-17 officer of NACTA, came as a big surprise for the interior ministry as no go-ahead was given for any hiring. It was surprising that a grade-17 officer bypassed his boss, NACTA national coordinator, Hyder Ali, by directly submitting summary to the interior ministry for hiring against senior posts.
Committee probes issue
Complaints of corruption in proposed hiring started to pour in at the interior ministry which constituted a committee to probe the issue at length.
Athar Hussain Sial, a grade-21 officer of the interior ministry, was authorised to conduct an inquiry into the case. Sial, according to sources, gave personal hearing to the accused and it was followed by submission of a preliminary inquiry report to the interior secretary.
The inquiry report confirmed allegations of corruption and misconduct against Nagra and Anjum and suggested serious action against them.
On the basis of the inquiry report, the interior ministry cancelled different scheduled visits of NACTA officials. It also ordered scrapping of the list of the candidates recommended by NACTA.
Anti-terror body made graft hub
NACTA is meant to fight terrorism and take all those measures which could ensure weeding out of this menace from the country.
Since NACTA job of fighting terrorism was directly related to the law enforcing agencies, the government introduced a law to make country’s top secret agencies part of the NACTA functions.
Hiring professionals for such a significant organisation was equally important but the corrupt officials took it as a an opportunity for money- making.
A mess has been created by some officials who have been sent on deputation in NACTA. The internal politics of NACTA has made the counter-terrorism organisation completely dysfunctional, sources said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2013.
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Good job Express Investigation Cell. We need these kinds of fact unearth so that proper action can be taken to address them.