ISLAMABAD – The interim government led by Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk madeanother round of massive changes in the federal bureaucracy on Friday.
Dr Muhammad Suleman Khan, a grade-22 officer who has been director generalof the Intelligence Bureau (IB) since May 7 this year, was made nationalcoordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta).
Lt Cdr Ihsan Ghani, who belongs to the police service, will now head the IBthough he is set to retire in August this year.
Moreover, the government took back within three days its decision about thetransfer of information secretary Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera in the lightof Supreme Court’s directives.
Mr Sukhera, a grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Services(PAS), who had been earlier transferred as education secretary, was madeinformation secretary again in latest shuffle.
Arshad Mirza, also a grade-22 officer of PAS, who was posted as informationsecretary, has been made education secretary.
Additionally, Usman Akhtar Bajwa, a grade-20 officer, who was working asCapital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, has been directed to reportto the Establishment Division.
Ishrat Ali, a grade-21 officer of PAS, who was working as director generalpassports, has been made CDA chairman.
Besides changing the portfolios, the interim government has formallyappointed Muhammad Saleem as new chairman of the Pakistan Electronic MediaRegulatory Authority (Pemra). The post had been lying vacant since Decemberlast year after the ouster of Absar Alam by the Lahore High Court.
Mr Saleem, who was working as principal information officer, took charge ofhis new office on Friday.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had imposed a ban on newappointments after the date for the general elections were announced inApril, however, after a hearing at the ECP, Mr Saleem’s name was approvedbecause he had been appointed by the last PML-N government on thedirectives of the apex court in line with the formalities.