ISLAMABAD: The Establishment Division (ED) has set up an Accountability Facilitation Cell (AFC) to facilitate National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for expeditious processing of complaints against government officials, sources close to Minister for Establishment Division Ahad Cheema told Business Recorder.

The AFC, which will extend support to NAB, will comprise of:

(i) Special Secretary, Establishment Division (Chairperson);

(ii) Joint Secretary (E), Establishment Division (Member );

(iii) a designated officer not below BS-20 from the Ministry of Law and Justice Member); and

(iv) Joint Secretary (Discipline), Establishment Division (Member/ Focal Person).

The purpose of the Cell are as follows:

(i) referral of complaints by NAB against civil servants/ Ministries /Divisions/ Departments for seeking input/ opinion of the AFC with regard to the allegations levelled in the said complaints and to ensure corrective measures in the Ministries/ Divisions/ Departments;

(ii) to facilitate NAB in early and just disposal of the said complaints and proceed against the delinquent officers/ officials in accordance with the law; and

(iii) to make use of the self-accountability mechanism of the respective Ministries/ Divisions/ Departments against their officers/ officials before taking cognisance by NAB.

Reshuffle in federal bureaucracy

The AFC will work as per the following Terms of Reference (ToRs):

(i) National Accountability Bureau (Headquarters), Islamabad shall forward complaints against Civil Servants/ Ministries/ Divisions/ Departments to the AFC for input/ report; however, the identity of the complainant will not be disclosed to AFC;

(ii) AFC may, where considered appropriate, get a preliminary probe/ fact-finding conducted on the allegations levelled in the complaint, in accordance with law/ rules on the subject, and thereafter, will send a report to NAB, preferably within a period of two months;

(iii) during the processing of complaints, all correspondence and sharing of information shall be made through AFC. Where possible, the identity of Civil Servants/ Ministries/ Divisions/ Departments shall be kept strictly confidential; and

(iv) if needed, the AFC may also suggest ways and means to improve internal controls, accountability and transparency mechanism in any Ministry/ Division/ Department, where required.

In January this year, while addressing the civil servants of Sindh Government, Chairman NAB, Lt General Nazir Ahmed (retired) assured that no action will be taken against them on any anonymous complaint.

NAB has made some fundamental changes in its policy including it will not harass Civil Servants and public office holders unnecessarily like during the tenure of Javed Iqbal.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024