ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The federal government has granted the status of federal minister to Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Javed and asked him to continue working as Chief of Staff to the President of Pakistan.

Informed sources told Dawn on Friday that the cabinet division had formally issued a notification to this effect. Mr Hamid Javed was the senior-most Lieutenant-General when he retired from the army after he was superseded by Gen Ehsanul Haq and Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat as Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Vice Chief of Army Staff, respectively.

An official at the President's House when contacted confirmed that Lt-Gen Hamid Javed had quit the army and he had been retained at the President's House to continue with the duties he was performing before his retirement.

The Director-General of ISPR, Major-General Shaukat Sultan also confirmed the move. He said the civilians had been working in almost all fields, adding that not far ago Gen (retd) Kallu served as the Director-General of ISI during the first Benazir Bhutto government.