ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court, IHC, has stopped the Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, from making new appointments while hearing a petition filed by 28 officials of the FIA’s National Response Center for Cyber crime, NR3C.
According to Dawn, the petition was filed after FIA advertised 200 contractual posts in December 2018 for different roles within NR3C including deputy director investigation, assistant directors investigation, forensic, accounts, stress counsellor, hardware, software and network, technical assistant, assistant legal advisor, cyber crimes analyst, inspectors, sub inspector, assistant sub inspector, head constable, constable, office superintendent, upper division clerk, lower division clerk et al.
The petitioners pleaded to court to stop FIA from making appointments on the advertised posts. The counsel for petitioners argued that if the hiring was made on aforementioned positions, it would jeopardize the right of petitioners as they were also expecting promotions to senior positions.
Later, IHC Justice Mohsin Kayani granted the stay, barring FIA from making new appointments and directed Assistant attorney general Raja Muhammad Aftab to submit a written reply by February 04. He also directed FIA Director General to submit his written reply on why such appointments were legal, valid or otherwise.
The latest development will further add to the woes of FIA Nr3C who have long complained of being under resourced in the face of rising cyber crime complaints.
