ISLAMABAD: IA principal appraiser within the Pakistan Customs Service (PCS) has faced a major penalty of dismissal from service due to unauthorized absence from duty.
The decision was announced through a notification issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Mr. Salman Ahmed, Principal Appraiser (BS-16), who served in the Directorate of Internal Audit (South) in Karachi. The inquiry process began with an order of inquiry under Rule-7 of the Civil Servants (E&D) Rules, 2020. Additionally, a direct Show Cause Notice was issued on June 26, 2023, regarding Mr. Ahmed’s unauthorized absence from duty, which had persisted since April 7, 2022.
In the initial stages of the inquiry, Mr. Ahmed was placed under suspension for a period of 120 days.
Efforts to serve the Inquiry Order and Show Cause Notice to Mr. Ahmed were undertaken by the Directorate of Internal Audit-South (Customs), Karachi, on July 3, 2023. However, more than a month later, on August 1, 2023, the Directorate informed that Mr. Ahmed’s whereabouts were unknown, and despite their best efforts, he could not be traced. To provide another opportunity for Mr. Ahmed to respond, a final Show Cause Notice was published in three leading national newspapers on August 22, 2023.
Despite these efforts and the passage of a reasonable amount of time, Mr. Ahmed did not provide any response to the final Show Cause Notice.
As a result, the charge of unauthorized absence from duty since April 7, 2022, was established against Mr. Ahmed without any ambiguity.
Following a review of the available records and facts of the case, the Member (Admn/HR)/Authority decided to impose a major penalty of “Dismissal from Service” upon Mr. Salman Ahmed, Principal Appraiser (BS-16), who was already under suspension. This penalty was imposed in accordance with Rule-7(c) read with Rule-16(7)(b)(ii) of the Civil Servants (E&D) Rules, 2020.
Mr. Ahmed retains the right to appeal against this decision to the Appellate Authority under the Civil Servants (Appeals) Rules, 1977, within a period of 30 days from the date of communication of this notification.
