Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday, in an administrative reshuffle, made some temporary appointments in the oil and gas sector in an apparent bid to boost energy production.
A minor reshuffle in the top bureaucracy at the federal level saw Executive Director (Finance/CFO) Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) Asif Saeed Sindhu assigned to the post of chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) till the appointment of a regular incumbent. Former MD OGDCL Muhammad Naeem Malik, in the meanwhile, has been transferred to the post of additional secretary petroleum and natural resources division.
With the approval of Prime Minister Gilani, BS-22 officer of the secretariat group Muhammad Ejaz Chaudhry, who was previously posted as the secretary privatisation division/ privatisation commission, has been transferred and posted as the secretary petroleum and natural resources division, while BS-21 officer of the district management group Imtiaz Hussain Kazi, previously posted as the acting secretary petroleum and natural resources division, has been transferred and posted as the acting secretary privatisation division/ privatization commission.
Under Tuesday’s reshuffling, BS-22 officer of the secretariat group Abdul Ghaffar Soomro, who was previously posted as the secretary industries and production division, has been transferred and posted as the secretary sports division, while BS-21 officer of the income tax group Aziz Ahmed Bilour, previously posted as the additional secretary (in charge) sports division, has now been transferred and posted as the additional secretary (in charge) for the industries and production division.
A press release issued from the PM’s Secretariat read: “The prime minister urged the new appointees to work with dedication and make every effort to enhance production to overcome the energy shortage which is hampering the growth of the economy and creating difficulties for the common man.”
Adviser to the prime minister on petroleum and natural resources Dr Asim Hussain on April 18, while announcing the removal of all heads of state-run oil and gas companies and the reconstitution of their board of directors (BoDs), said that heads of public sector entities had failed to deliver.
He said that a change of heads of the state-run entities in the oil and gas sector would be made through a proper procedure, and that notifications to this effect would be issued soon. However, during the transitional span, charge would be given to their deputies.
No foreigner would be appointed as the head of any institution, he said.
The heads of around 15 companies, including Pakistan State Oil, OGDCL and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited would be replaced, and the board of directors would also be restructured.
“We need reputable people to head companies and there will be a paradigm shift while restructuring the board of directors as it is time to focus on the supply side of the management on a fast track basis,” Dr Hussain said, adding that a strict gas policy would be announced soon to bring 400 mmcfd into the system within three to four years.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2011.
Correction: April 27, 2011
Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly mentioned the post of Chairman Ogra as Managing Director Ogra.
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