ISLAMABAD: An officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), who is accused of leaking valuable information of the sugar inquiry commission to mill owners, has been dismissed from service.

Sources told Dawn that Interior Secretary Yusuf Naseem Khokhar had sacked FIA deputy director Sajjad Mustafa Bajwa, who had been expelled from the sugar inquiry commission and placed under suspension months ago.

An official said the secretary gave a personal hearing to the accused officer before taking a final decision.

He said the FIA had forwarded the charge sheet and statement of allegations against Mr Bajwa on April 30, which were served on him by the authorised officer — an additional secretary. An inquiry had been ordered against the delinquent officer, but he opted not to join the proceedings.

The sacked officer was also served call-up notices and a warning letter, yet he did not appear before the inquiry officer.

The inquiry officer concluded that Mr Bajwa was found guilty of charges of inefficiency, leakage of sensitive information and violation of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1964 by appearing on media with a self-proclaimed defence not based on facts.

“On the basis of the charge-sheet, findings of the inquiry and perusal of the record, I being the authority, impose major penalty of dismissal from service upon Mr Sajjad Mustafa Bajwa, Deputy Director FIA,” the interior secretary wrote on the file.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2020