IHC refers cases of FIA employees' regularisation to FPSC.

Byline: Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD -- The regularisation of around a hundred Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials from grade 16 and above has been referred to the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Wednesday referred cases of the regularisation of 74 FIA officials working in the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PICES), the Intergrated Border Management System (IBMS), the National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes and the Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW) on a contractual basis.

The services of these employees were regularised at the direction of a cabinet subcommittee headed by Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah during the last PPP government.

The IHC has already forwarded the cases of another 25 officials to the commission in an identical petition.

In response to an earlier direction, the FPSC told the court on Sept 25 that regularised officials would be submit to written tests to confirm their appointments on the existing pay scale.

'The commission has approved the processing criteria of the cases of contract employees for regularisation by holding written tests and interviews in pursuance of judgment of the Islamabad High Court (IHC),' an FPSC letter, written to the Ministry of Interior in compliance with the IHC order, said.

The letter added: 'In this regard syllabus for computer related posts and accounts/finance related posts of immigration and passport has been prepared by the commission...the date and venue of written test will be communicated in due course of time.'

On a petition filed by Shafqat Jamal, Justice Kayani directed the FIA director general and the interior secretary 'to transmit the cases of respondent No.6 to 80 to the Federal Public Service Commission who shall consider their eligibility...