ISLAMABAD, April 6: The National Reconstruction Bureau has proposed the appointment of police officers as heads of all the “federal law enforcement agencies,” a move, which if implemented through the Police Ordinance 2002 would block vertical mobility of career service officials belonging to specialized cadres.
Moreover, the appointment of army officials as heads of agencies like Anti-Narcotics Force would not be possible.
Sources said the NRB has made it conditional that only police officials could be appointed as the heads of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Frontier Constabulary (FC), Anti-Smuggling Wings of the Customs and all the other “federal law enforcement agencies.”
Sources said according to the scheme of things devised by police dominated consultants of NRB on police reforms, the National Public Safety Commission with a police officer as its secretary is envisioned to recommend the names of three police officers to the federal government for appointment as heads of all the law enforcement agencies.
“With one smart move un-noticed by many, the police officials have used NRB to take all the law enforcement agencies into their purview,” an official of the Customs said.
Establishment division sources said NRB has used the media terminology of “federal law enforcement agencies.” The term is not legally defined in the statutes or by the NRB which extensively used it in the draft ordinance.
Sources said the promotion and appointment of civil servants belonging to different specialized cadres like Income Tax, Customs and career officials to the top most slots would be blocked in their organizations.
“ After the police ordinance is enforced, the officials of the specialized cadres would be subordinate to the ‘police commanders’ of the undefined federal law enforcement agencies,” officials apprehended.
Moreover, it is unclear whether the National Accountability Bureau, an investigating agency at the federal level like the FIA, would also be headed by the police officials.
Sources said all the anti-smuggling wings of Customs department and the collectorates exercising powers of arrest and detention would be headed by police officers. Presently, the DG Customs Intelligence heads the anti-smuggling wing of Customs Intelligence.
Rejecting the objections of Sindh on the move, NRB advanced the argument that “anti-smuggling wing cannot be excluded as they perform police functions.”
Similarly, postings of army officials to top slots in organizations like the Anti-Narcotics Force and Rangers would be thwarted, sources said.
The law enforcement agencies which the police wants to take into its purview by virtue of appointment of police heads are already covered by independent Acts like the FIA Act, Rangers Act, ANF Act, Customs Act etc.
Replying to a question as to how the NRB defined the federal law enforcement agencies, an NRB Consultant said all federal agencies which were performing the police functions would be covered under the Police Ordinance 2002.
“The Police Ordinance 2002 after promulgation would be applicable on FIA, Anti-Narcotics Force, Rangers and other civil armed forces,” he said.