LAHORE: The Federal Service Tribunal (FST) has decided the issue of outstanding seniority of assistant directors in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Re-induction and seniority of officers Ali Imam Zaidi, Khwaja Hammadur Rehman, Malik Sikandar, Babar Sheharyar, Aftab Ahmad Butt and Jamil Ahmad Khan was challenged before the FST by senior assistant directors of the F IA.

FST Chairman retired Justice Sheikh Ahmad Farooq wrote in his order that the respondent ofñcers shall retain their seniority position that they held in 2004 as inspectors before their transfer to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the period they remained in NAB shall not disturb the actual seniority position.

`The position shall be as if the appellant had continued in FIA and had not joined the NAB in the interim period,` he added.

The tribunal further said the respondent officers shall not claim seniority merely on the basis of their promotion in the bureau.

The six officers were inspectors before joining the NAB but were re-inducted in FIA in 2006 and retained their seniority from NAB in BPS-17. They were claimant to seniority in BPS-17 since 2006.

Currently, Khwaja Hammad was posted as FIA Zonal Office Lahore acting deputy director (admin), Hayat FIA Gujranwala acting deputy director, Zaidi FIA Immigration Lahore Airport acting deputy director and Shehryar FIA Multan acting deputy director.