The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has dismissed 76 officials, demoted nine, sacked two, and awarded punishments to 127 others, bringing the total number of penalized officials to 214 over the last four months of 2025, amid rising complaints of human trafficking and corruption.
The large-scale action followed major internal accountability reforms, including the establishment of the Directorate of Internal Accountability (DIA) at FIA Headquarters in August 2025.
Similar accountability units were later created at the zonal level to strengthen oversight.
Senior officials said the crackdown intensified after deadly boat tragedies in Europe and Africa, where investigations revealed the involvement of some FIA officials in human smuggling networks.
Corruption within public institutions was also highlighted in the IMF’s November 2025 report, Pakistan: Governance and Corruption Diagnostic.
To ensure swift action, FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja delegated accountability powers to additional directors general and zonal directors, authorizing them to take action against officers up to Grade 16.
Officials from constable to deputy director level were punished in 214 departmental inquiries. Of these, 20% related to immigration complaints, 20% to faulty investigations, and 40% to indiscipline and inefficiency, while the remaining cases covered other violations.
The FIA also introduced a digital monitoring system for the DIA to track inquiries from complaint registration to final disposal, including appeals.
The system allows senior officers to monitor progress in real time and ensure transparency.
A major reform involved consolidating all accountability processes, including preliminary, fact-finding, and departmental inquiries, under the DIA, removing them from the human resources wing to prevent concentration of power and improve institutional checks.
Officials said the reforms received full backing from the Interior and Narcotics Control Minister, who personally visited FIA offices and airports to oversee performance and push for action against corrupt and inefficient officials.
The FIA currently operates in 12 zones across Pakistan, from Gilgit-Baltistan to Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir remains outside its jurisdiction.
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