FAISALABAD, Nov 26: In sheer violation of the Deputation Policy 1998, more than 20 officials and policemen are serving in the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Faisalabad, even after expiry of their three-year deputation period.

After collecting data, Faisalabad ACE Director Qaiser Saleem has approached the respective departments of the officials for their repatriation. He has apprised the departments including prosecution, law and police that none of the employees could serve in any department on deputation or posting for more than three years.

However, the situation in the Faisalabad ACE is altogether different where a number of officials and policemen have been serving beyond the allowed limit.

The Punjab government letter issued on July 25, 2001 reads, “According to condition No. 17 of the Deputation Policy bearing No. FD.SR-II-6-13/97, dated Aug 13, 1998, deputation is permissible to a civil servant for a maximum period of three years with the approval of the head of the department and under special circumstances, further extension in deputation can be allowed with the approval of the governor/chief minister.

Now, the governor is pleased to authorise the finance department to grant extension in deputation for a further period up to one year, beyond three years, in relaxation of Deputation Policy provided that such extension is fully justified and related to exceptional circumstances.”

Sources said neither the governor/CM nor the finance department had extended the deputation period of any officer. Stay of the officers against the policy was tantamount to violating the rules. The officials serving in the ACE along with their tenure period included Kazim Awan, serving for the last three years and 10 months, Dilbar Hussain, deputy director (legal) (three years, two months), the same officer had served as assistant director (legal) in the past for three years and two months, Mohammad Anwar Khan (four years, one month), Mohammad Javeed Akhtar, deputy director (technical), first served for four years and two months and now again serving in ACE for the last one year and 11 months. Assistant directors Mohammad Aslam and Zahid Masood Nizami are also serving for the last four years. The ACE is their parent department, however, they also cannot serve for more than three years.

Toba Tek Singh deputy director (investigation) Rai Wajid Ali, assistant directors (legal) Sheikh Adnan Ahmed Farooqi and Shahjahan Babar and superintendent Syed Anwarul Hassan have also been serving for the last more than two years that is considered a mature posting tenure.

A sub-engineer, Zulfiqar, first served in the ACE for four years and now he has been performing duties for the last one year and eight months.

As many as 16 policemen are serving in the Faisalabad ACE even for the last more than four years and none of the officials bothered to check their posting tenure as transfer and posting record of the policemen is being maintained manually.

Faisalabad CPO Dr Haider Ashraf said the entire record of the police establishment branch would be computerised to keep a check on transfer and posting tenures.

The ACE officials have approached the police officials about three months ago for repatriation of the policemen attached with the establishment with a request to replace them with new faces having minimum qualification of graduation. They said the police department was allegedly using delaying tactics.

The policemen yet to be repatriated included ASI Nasir Ali who has been serving in the Faisalabad ACE for over three years, ASI Ghulam Rasool (four years, three months), head constables Khadim Husain (five years, three months), Mohammad Khan (three years, seven months), Akhtar Mehmood (first tenure 2009 to 2011 and now second time two years, seven months), constables Naeem Farooq (four years, seven months), Ghulam Abbas (three years, six months), Mehmood Ashiq (four years, 11 months), Nazir Ahmed (four years, eight months), Imtiaz Ali (three years, seven months), Kashif Mehmood (four years, eight months), Maqbool Ahmed (four years, two months), Yasir Razzaq (four years, nine months), Mohammad Qasim (three years, two months) and constable Rab Nawaz (three years and seven months).

Sources told Dawn that the ACE officials were not comfortable with the policemen who allegedly used to leak secret information to the accused prior to the raids by the anti-corruption staff. The leakage of information helped criminals escape or hide evidence that had brought a bad name for the ACE.

They said some of the ‘old police faces’ had allegedly developed a nexus with some corrupt elements who bribed them regularly. They said instead of eliminating corruption such employees were fanning corruption.