Transfers: Huge reshuffle in civil bureaucracy

Five junior officers appointed to senior posts.

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has made a large round of transfers in the civil bureaucracy, reshuffling 39 offices including commissioners, administrative secretaries and district coordination officers (DCOs).

These have already prompted grumbling among the upper bureaucratic ranks about the appointment of junior officers to senior posts. Five junior officers have been given top jobs, including chairman of the Planning and Development (P&D) Board. The grade-22 post has been awarded to Muhammad Irfan Elahi, a grade-20 officer previously serving as livestock and dairy development secretary. Arif Anwar Baloch, the P&D secretary, had had additional charge of the chairman’s post. A senior official said that Elahi’s posting had shocked senior officers who had experience in the development field.

Mirza Suhail Amir has been transferred from the post of secretary for housing, urban development and public health engineering to the post of additional chief secretary. Dr Shujat Ali has been transferred from the post of secretary for industries, commerce and investment and made an officer on special duty (OSD). Major (retired) Azam Suleman Khan has been transferred from the post of secretary for communication and works to home secretary.

Irfan Ali, formerly an OSD, has been posted secretary for industries, commerce and investment. OSD Jawad Rafique Malik has been posted secretary for local government and community development. Azmat Ali Ranjha, agriculture secretary, has been made an OSD. Dr Ijaz Munir, commissioner of Faislabad, has been made agriculture secretary. Muhammad Aslam has been posted as food secretary.

Farhan Aziz Khawaja, secretary for implementation and coordination, has been transferred to the post of higher education secretary. Capt (retired) Sher Alam Mahsud, secretary for environment protection, has been made an OSD. Muhammad Anwar Rashid, member of the Board of Revenue, has been made secretary for environment protection.

Capt (retired) Nazim Nawaz, commissioner of Lahore, has been made an OSD, with OSD Imdadullah Bosal taking over as commissioner. Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh, commissioner of Bahawalpur, has been made an OSD and Captain (retired) Asadullah Khan, managing director of PUNJMIN, has been made commissioner of Bahawalpur in his place. Maqsood Ahmed, commissioner of DG Khan, has been made an OSD. Muhammad Amin Chaudhry has been transferred from the post of chairman of the Punjab Privatisation Board and posted commissioner of DG Khan.

The posts of commissioners of Faisalabad and Sahiwal are still vacant.

Qazi Zafar Iqbal has been made an OSD and his post as DCO of Muzaffargarh has been given to Farasat Iqbal, formerly the programme director for the health sector reforms progamme. Shakeel Ahmed has been transferred from the post of Sialkot DCO and been made an OSD. Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, formerly additional home secretary, has been posted Sialkot DCO.

Lodhran DCO Tariq Mahmood has been made an OSD and Khalid Saleem, DCO of Rahim Yar Khan, has been made Lodhran DCO. Capt (retired) Muhammad Usman, formerly food director, has been posted Rahim Yar Khan DCO.

Waqas Ali Mehmood has been transferred from the post of Sargodha DCO and been made an OSD. Tariq Mehmood, formerly additional secretary for higher education, has taken over as Sargodha DCO. Khalid Mahmood Sheikh, formerly Kasur DCO, has been made an OSD. Syed Javed Iqbal, anti corruption director in Sargodha, has been posted Kasur DCO. Maqbool Ahmed, formerly Jhelum DCO, has been made an OSD and Mirza Mahmoodul Hassam, Lahore anti-corruption director, has been made Jhelum DCO. Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi, formerly Mianwali DCO, has been made an OSD. Mian Abrar Ahmed, joint registrar for cooperative societies, has been posted Mianwali DCO. Mahmood Hassan, Khanewal DCO, has been made an OSD and replaced by Muhammad Usman Moazzam, formerly additional health secretary. Ehsan Bhutta, Okara DCO, has been made an OSD. Sardar Saifullah Dogar, additional programme director for education sector reforms, has been posted Okara DCO. Muhammad Yasrab, DCO of Narowal, has been made an OSD and replaced by Syed Najaf Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2013.