Federal Investigation Agency
Encyclopedia
The Federal Investigation Agency (acronym: FIA) is an agency of Pakistan
, under the Ministry of Interior
, that serves as a federal criminal investigative body with one of the Directorate dealing as Pakistani body of Interpol
. It has a wide role in anti-terrorism, anti-fascism, anti-corruption, human smuggling and copyright infringement
policing, similar in function to the USA's FBI
. Its motto is Accuracy and Honesty.
The FIA's headquarters is located in G-9/4 in Islamabad
. It has various branch offices located in all major cities across Pakistan.
, rampant in the Supplies and Procurement Department of the then British Raj
. It was named as Special Police Establishment. After the end of the British Raj
and the Independence of Pakistan in 1947, it was renamed to Pakistan Special Police Establishment (PSPE). The said establishment was given a schedule of offenses with Ordinance VIII of 1948. With the passage of time, the PSPE, apart from investigating the offenses of bribery
and corruption against Central Government Employees, was also given powers to investigate cases relating to the offenses under the following laws:-
i. Official Secret Act, 1923
ii. Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947
iii. Passport Offenses Act, 1952
iv. Customs Act, 1959
The FIA was established in 1975 under the Federal Investigation Agency Act, 1974
and superseded the Pakistan Special Police Establishment.
n counterpart, the Central Bureau of Investigation
, after a gap of 17 years.
FIA participates in the PISCES
project which was initiated by the US Department of State, Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP) in 1997, as a system to improve their watchlisting capabilities by providing a mainframe computer system to facilitate immigration processing. PISCES
system has been installed at seven major airports of the country i.e. Islamabad
, Karachi
, Lahore
, Peshawar
, Quetta
, Multan
and Faisalabad
airports. The system has provision to accommodate information on suspects from all law enforcement agencies like Immigration
, Police
, Narcotics Control, Anti-smuggling, and Intelligence Services.
, Karachi
, Peshawar
, Quetta
and Islamabad
Capital Territory. A deputy director assists with the functioning of the SIU.
The FIA training academy was first opened for use in 1976 specifically to train/equip new FIA recruits, though its scope was enhanced and now Police Officers, Army/Air Force Officers, NAB and members of other agencies participate in different courses which are conducted at the academy.
(DG), appointed by the federal government, generally a very senior Police Officer of BPS 21/22, based at the Headquarters in Islamabad. The current FIA Director General is Syed Tahsin Anwar Ali of the Police Service of Pakistan who was appointed in Jun, 2011, succeeding the former DG Malik Muhammad Iqbal.
. The building was severely damaged during the suicidal attack. Geo News later reported that "The building also housed the offices of a special US-trained unit created to counter terrorism" suggesting a motive.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, under the Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Interior (Pakistan)
The Ministry of the Interior is Pakistan's ministry of the interior. Its head office is in Islamabad.The Interior Minister of Pakistan heads the Ministry of Interior. He serves in the cabinet of the Prime Minister. The Minister is required to be a member of Parliament...
, that serves as a federal criminal investigative body with one of the Directorate dealing as Pakistani body of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. It has a wide role in anti-terrorism, anti-fascism, anti-corruption, human smuggling and copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
policing, similar in function to the USA's FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. Its motto is Accuracy and Honesty.
The FIA's headquarters is located in G-9/4 in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. It has various branch offices located in all major cities across Pakistan.
Mission statement
To achieve excellence in FIA by promoting culture of merit, providing continuous professional training, ensuring effective internal accountability, encouraging use of technology and having a meaningful feedback mechanism.History
A federally controlled Police Establishment first came into existence in 1942 during the Second World War to take up investigation of corruptionPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, rampant in the Supplies and Procurement Department of the then British Raj
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. It was named as Special Police Establishment. After the end of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and the Independence of Pakistan in 1947, it was renamed to Pakistan Special Police Establishment (PSPE). The said establishment was given a schedule of offenses with Ordinance VIII of 1948. With the passage of time, the PSPE, apart from investigating the offenses of bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
and corruption against Central Government Employees, was also given powers to investigate cases relating to the offenses under the following laws:-
i. Official Secret Act, 1923
ii. Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947
iii. Passport Offenses Act, 1952
iv. Customs Act, 1959
The FIA was established in 1975 under the Federal Investigation Agency Act, 1974
Federal Investigation Agency Act, 1974
The Federal Investigation Agency Act, 1974 is an Act to provide for the constitution of a Federal Investigation Agency in Pakistan.It was published as Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part-I, 17 January 1975....
and superseded the Pakistan Special Police Establishment.
Special FIA Teams
In 2005, to deal with the growing indigenous terrorist problem, the FIA formed an elite Counter Terrorism unit named Special Investigation Group (SIG). The SIG comprises 87 investigation officers and 13 Specialists in IT, Explosives, Banking and Law. The US, the UK, Germany and the UNODC have provided extensive training and equipment to the SIG. The Federal Government notifies the SIG to investigate offences punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 jointly with provincial police departments.FIA Successes
In 2001 a petition was filed in the USA which disputed Pakistan's commitment to rooting out piracy within its national borders. In 2005 Pakistan was en-route to having its US duty-free Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) being taken away from it. Thus in order to avert any further negative fallout, sections of the Copyright Ordinance 1962 were included in the FIA's schedule of offences. This legislation paved the way in 2005, under the direction of the federal interior ministry, to raid the country's largest video wholesale centre: The Rainbow Centre. Raiding the factories of the dealers that operated within the centre proved to be a highly successful entreprise, resulting in a reduction of 60% of sales of pirated video material. A spokesman from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), later confirmed, that many of the outlets had stopped selling pirated video goods and were now selling mobile phones, highlighting that the FIA's raids and the resultant legal action was a success.FIA Criticisms
It was also reported that 05 FIA personnel were investigated for their alleged role in human trafficking and most of them were dismissed from the service.FIA & Foreign Cooperation
In 2006, the FIA resumed operational links with its IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n counterpart, the Central Bureau of Investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
, after a gap of 17 years.
FIA participates in the PISCES
PISCES
PISCES is a border control database system.- Overview :The PISCES-project was initiated by the Department of State, Terrorist Interdiction Program in 1997, initially as a system for countries in improving their watch listing capabilities by providing a mainframe computer system to facilitate...
project which was initiated by the US Department of State, Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP) in 1997, as a system to improve their watchlisting capabilities by providing a mainframe computer system to facilitate immigration processing. PISCES
PISCES
PISCES is a border control database system.- Overview :The PISCES-project was initiated by the Department of State, Terrorist Interdiction Program in 1997, initially as a system for countries in improving their watch listing capabilities by providing a mainframe computer system to facilitate...
system has been installed at seven major airports of the country i.e. Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
and Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
airports. The system has provision to accommodate information on suspects from all law enforcement agencies like Immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, Narcotics Control, Anti-smuggling, and Intelligence Services.
Organization
The FIA is organized into functional Wings and the office of the Director General. The Director General is assisted by three Additional Director Generals (Crime, Immigration and Administration) and eight directors for the effective monitoring and smooth functioning of the operations spread all over the country. Three of the directors are responsible for SIG, NCB and Legal Branch and the other five are placed in the strategic capitals of each state, LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
and Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
Capital Territory. A deputy director assists with the functioning of the SIU.
The FIA training academy was first opened for use in 1976 specifically to train/equip new FIA recruits, though its scope was enhanced and now Police Officers, Army/Air Force Officers, NAB and members of other agencies participate in different courses which are conducted at the academy.
Organization Structure
- Immigration Wing (Additional DG)
- PISCESPISCESPISCES is a border control database system.- Overview :The PISCES-project was initiated by the Department of State, Terrorist Interdiction Program in 1997, initially as a system for countries in improving their watch listing capabilities by providing a mainframe computer system to facilitate...
(Director) - Immigration (Director)
- AHS (Director)
- ATU (Deputy Director)
- Law (Director)
- LO (Deputy Director)
- PISCES
- Crime wing (Additional DG)
- Tech (Director)
- Tech (Deputy Director)
- Crime (Deputy Director)
- Law (Director)
- I&M (Director)
- IPR (Director)
- Tech (Director)
- Administration Wing (Additional DG)
- FIA Academy
- Admin
- SIG (Director)
- Operations
- Admin/Intel
- National Central Bureau (NCB) (InterpolInterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
) (Director) - SIU (Deputy Director), as directly under the Director General
- Legal Branch
- Punjab (Director)
- Sindh (Director)
- Islamabad (Director)
- Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Director)
- Balochistan (Director)
FIA Directors
The FIA is headed by a Director-GeneralDirector-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
(DG), appointed by the federal government, generally a very senior Police Officer of BPS 21/22, based at the Headquarters in Islamabad. The current FIA Director General is Syed Tahsin Anwar Ali of the Police Service of Pakistan who was appointed in Jun, 2011, succeeding the former DG Malik Muhammad Iqbal.
Lahore Bombings (2008)
The FIA office in Lahore was targeted during the Lahore twin suicide bombings2008 Lahore bombings
The 2008 Lahore bombings were twin suicide car bombings which killed at least 28 people and wounded more 350 people in Lahore, Pakistan on March 11 2008. The first bomb targeted the FIA building, and the second one targeted an advertising agency. The injured also included around 40 schoolchildren...
. The building was severely damaged during the suicidal attack. Geo News later reported that "The building also housed the offices of a special US-trained unit created to counter terrorism" suggesting a motive.
Notable people
- Mr. Rehman Malik, Minister Interior
- Mr. Tariq Pervez, Ex DG FIA
- Mr. Tariq Khosa, Ex DG FIA
- Mr. Maj(R) M.Arif Chaudhry, EX ADG FIA