18 September 2004	Saturday	02 Shaban 1425

PESHAWAR, Sept 17: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) not to transfer its officials until the process for the transfer of cases and assets are completed, official sources told Dawn here.

The NAB through an office order sent to the FIA headquarters in Islamabad a week ago had asked it not to dislocate its officials working on different positions until further notification was issued in this regard, sources said.

The transfer of cases would take quite a long time as there were hundreds of cases still pending with the FIA in Peshawar, they said. There were some cases still pending with the FIA despite their register five years ago, they added.

They said that there was a difference between the working conditions of the FIA and the NAB and it would take quite some time to complete the procedure of transferring the cases.

The first main difference, the sources said, was that the FIA registers cases against the accused, while the NAB submits references. Meanwhile, only one official of the FIA has expressed his willingness to join the NAB, while the rest of 43 officials have refused to join the bureau, sources told Dawn.

They said that the FIA headquarters in Islamabad had recommended 44 officials of different grades from the NWFP and asked them to express their willingness within a week.

The headquarters had also warned that those officials who refused to join the NAB would be sent to the surplus pool. And if these officials did not reply within the stipulated time, it would be considered as their willingness to join the NAB.

However, except constable Niaz Ali, all the officials have expressed their unwillingness to join the NAB, the sources said. "We don't have job security in the NAB and proper structure of promotions, while the FIA has job security and pension after retirement," said an official who has sent his refusal to join the NAB.