LAHORE: More than 40 BS-17 assistant directors of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) could not be notified in next grade despite being promoted by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) two months ago.

The interior ministry held the DPC in February last and promoted 43 assistant directors (BS-17) to deputy directors (BS-18) slots.

“But despite the passage of two months the interior ministry has yet to issue a notification,” an official told Dawn on Friday.

He said over 60 posts of deputy directors had been lying vacant in the FIA, therefore, the ministry should have no problem in notifying the promotion of 43 assistant directors as deputy directors.

“The delay in notification may complicate the matter as DPC of the next batch is due later this year.

“These have been long-awaited promotions done in the DPC after a gap of four years. The whole department is suffering owing to delay in notification because the department has no regular deputy directors to run the circles.

All circles are being run on acting charge basis, another official said. He further said that the ministry had approved seven more composite circles but there were no deputy directors to run them.

Besides, he said, some of the candidates filed a petition in the Lahore High Court.

The court issued a direction for issuance of the notification in the light of DPC. The court order says: “Though no provision of law showing timeline for issuance of notification in question. However in the interest of justice respondents may look into the matter and issue notification after the process is completed at the earliest.”

He said some elements in the interior ministry wanted promotion of their ‘favourites’ that was why the notification was not being issued.

Interior Ministry Secretary Yousuf Nasim Khokhar did not respond to Dawn’s query in this regard.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2021