Pakistan upgrades Intelligence Bureau into a 'division' to give financial autonomy

The caretaker government of Pakistan on Monday addressed a longstanding request from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) by officially elevating it to the status of a full-fledged division, thereby granting it complete financial autonomy.

According to a Dawn report, the decision was taken by the Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, following which a notification was issued to elevate the IB as a division.

The Dawn, citing the notification, reported that the IB director general will be the ex-officio secretary to the division which will work directly under the prime minister with its office to be established in the cabinet division.

It is believed that the decision will also end interference of other departments and individuals in IB’s working, added the report.

A senior official of the PM Office told Dawn that the IB earlier worked under the cabinet division and faced multiple problems especially in financial and administrative matters.

In the past, the funds were given to the IB through cabinet division and the bureau could not spend anything without its sanction from the finance division.

Before the latest move, the secretary of the cabinet division had been notified as the principal accounting officer for the IB by the government and all expenditures of the bureau were scrutinised by the financial adviser of the cabinet division.

With the PM’s decision, the official added, the IB with its separate division could seek funds directly from the prime minister and get directly from him.

Similarly, the bureau has been empowered to take its own decision regarding transfer, posting and promotion of his officials.

With inputs from agencies