ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved decision on the maintainability of the petition seeking repatriation of officials working in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on deputation.

A Deputy Director General (DDG) of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking to repatriate the officials working in the bureau on deputation.

The DDG Arshad Ali in his petition to IHC contended that the Supreme Court has ruled against the appointment of an officer of a department to the cadre post of another department.

The Supreme Court in 2013 ordered ministries and divisions to repatriate the officers working on deputation to their parent organisations.

The petitioner claimed that a score of the officers are working at key positions in the IB from various law enforcement agencies ‘illegally’ as the apex court has barred them to retain the cadre posts.

The petition further said that the Supreme Court’s order is binding on the IB, however, in the past the authorities inducted the deputationists in the bureau and they were posted on the key positions.

The petitioner stated that he personally submitted applications to the authorities requesting them to repatriate the deputationists to their parent departments in compliance with the apex court direction.

He requested the court to issue directions to the Director General (DG) IB to decide the applications against the deputationists in accordance with the law and the dictum lay down by the apex court.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023