Reshuffle in top bureaucracy

Gilani makes major reshuffle in top bureaucracy by posting newly promoted officers against key slots.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Gilani on Wednesday made a major reshuffle in the top bureaucracy by posting newly promoted officers against key slots.

The reshuffle comes at a time when Secretary Establishment Division Ismail Qureshi was close to his retirement and the most senior bureaucrat after him, Ghulam Dastagir, was to take the charge after his retirement.  Some nine secretaries out of total 12 were recently promoted by the prime minister.

To this effect, a notification was issued by the Prime Minister Secretariat on Wednesday. After the reshuffle, some senior bureaucrats will automatically retire by the end of this year.

Additional Chief Secretary Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ghulam Dastgir has been made new Chief Secretary of that province, while Additional Secretary Food and Agriculture Shahid Raja has been promoted as Secretary Ministry of Railways.

KB Rind, who was serving as Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology, has been transferred to the Ministry of Social Education and Social Welfare. Similarly, Athar Tahir, who was serving as Secretary Ministry of Social Welfare, has been transferred to the Ministry of Education. And Special Secretary Finance Asif Bajwa will serve as Secretary Statistics Division.

Secretary Federal Bureau of Statistics Saeed Ahmed Khan and Wajid Rana – who oversees the Economic Affairs Division in Washington DC – have been made Secretary Overseas Pakistanis and Secretary Finance, respectively.

Irfan Nadeem, Quality Control Authority Karachi, has been transferred to the Ministry of Science and Technology as Federal Secretary.

Chief Secretary Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa Javed Iqbal has been made Secretary Ministry of Water and Power.

Sindh Local Government Secretary Arif Azeem has been appointed as in charge of the Ministry of Manpower. Captain Tahir Shafi has become new Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industries.  Shafqat Naghmi has been transferred to the Food and Agriculture Ministry as Additional Secretary.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2010.