Islamabad: In protest against his unceremonious exit from office, Director General (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Bashir Ahmed Memon has submitted his resignation only days before his retirement date on December 17, 2019.

On Monday, Memon forwarded his resignation to the Establishment Division saying he decided to step down in protest against transfer from the current post at a time when his retirement was only a matter of days.

The federal government on November 29, 2019 in a major shake-up appointed Wajid Zia, head of the Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) against former premier Nawaz Sharif as Director-General of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and directed Memon to hand over the charge to Zia and report to the Establishment Division.

Wajid Zia has previously served as the FIA Additional Director General (Immigration). He has also served twice in the Intelligence Bureau and Motorway Police.

Wajid Zia also worked in the Economic Crimes Wing of the FIA and was a part of the team that probed the Haj scam.

Bashir Memon, too, has served as head of many investigation teams and has to his credit a number of scams worth billions of rupees.

Recently, he appeared before a National Assembly’s panel probing the matter of money laundering and illegal bank accounts and informed that Rs42.37 billion (Dh 1.004 billion) were allegedly laundered through fake or benami accounts in a mega money laundering scandal involving many big fish.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government reportedly developed differences with Memon after FIA gave a clean chit to three accused in alleged video scandal against a judge of the Accountability Court of Islamabad. As a result he was sent on forced leave in September this year for a period of 15 days.

However these differences were confirmed after he was asked to handover the charge to Wajid Zia forcing him subsequently leading to Memon’s resignation.

Zia was currently serving as the Inspector General of Pakistan Railways Police under the Railways Ministry.

A notification issued by the Establishment Division on November 29, 2019 said Zia, a BS-21 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, “is transferred and posted as director general, Federal Investigation Agency, under Interior Division, in his own pay and scale, with immediate effect”.

Meanwhile another senior official of grade-22, Yousaf Naseem Khokhar of the Pakistan Administrative Service currently working as Chief Secretary of Punjab has also been transferred and posted as the Interior Division secretary with immediate effect.