GUJRAT: The Gujrat office of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been upgraded as a ‘full circle’ but it has yet to get its separate office as well as the additionally sanctioned strength of 57 staff members due to financial constraints.

The circle comprises Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad. It became a full circle after transfer of areas from the Gujranwala circle office by the PML-N government. Its upgradation is so far limited to the posting of a grade 18 officer of the FIA as deputy director by the interior ministry whereas the rest of the strength of the staff is almost the same.

Sources in the FIA told Dawn that the previous government had approved a summary of establishment of more directorate offices in Multan (Punjab), Hyderabad (Sindh) and Gilgit-Baltistan besides circle level offices including that of Gujrat and Rs4.3 billion had been approved for the establishment of these offices as well as the recruitment of the new staff so that the agency could work more effectively to curb human trafficking, money laundering and cyber crime in these areas.

However, they said, the approved finances for the project could not be issued at that time and the matter is in the doldrums. The then FIA director general and Lahore region director had visited Gujrat and inspected a site in the compound of the deputy commissioner office five months ago and approved the rooms provided by the district administration as a suitable location for the establishment of circle office. The plan is yet to materialise owing to a lack of financial resources for renovation, furniture, installation of appliances and other such facilities.

Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad have been the worst hit districts as far as human trafficking is concerned. Young people explore opportunities of travelling to Europe and often end up using illegal crossing of the Iranian, Turkish and Greece borders with the help of human traffickers.

Almost all the staff of the Gujrat FIA office had been transferred to Gujranwala and Faisalabad circle offices from where the officials have been sent to the Gujrat office. Gujrat circle Deputy Director Sajjad Bajwa has been transferred and replaced by Abuazar Sultan.

Mr Sultan told Dawn that administratively the Gujrat office had been upgraded as a circle office but it had yet to get a separate office.

Asked why most officials have been transferred from Gujrat, he said it’s a routine matter.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2018

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