PESHAWAR, April 3: The newly-elected NWFP government has announced its first major reshuffle in senior bureaucracy replacing administrative secretaries of 11 provincial departments, with a few more changes on the anvil.

Transfers and postings orders issued by the NWFP establishment and administration department (E&AD) have brought some new faces on coveted slots and made some senior bureaucrats, mostly those who enjoyed comparatively good postings during the five-year rule of the MMA, as officers on special duty.

The reshuffling was part of a strategy aimed at gradually replacing senior officers working against key positions for the last few years, officials in the E&AD told Dawn.

According to them, two more such rounds of transfers and postings would be made in days to come for which some senior officers were also being requisitioned from the federal government.

At the major level, replacements were expected on the slots of additional chief secretary and secretaries for finance, industries, health, establishment, excise and taxation and home and tribal affairs departments.

According to the E&AD notification, Attaullah Khan (DMG BS-21), secretary for sports, culture and tourism, has been transferred and posted as secretary for agriculture, livestock and cooperation by replacing Abdus Samad Khan (PCS SG BS-20), who has been directed to report to the E&AD.

Similarly, Amjad Shahid Afridi (DMG BS-20), project director, computerisation of land record, Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan, has been transferred and posted as secretary for higher education, archives and libraries.

This post had fallen vacant following incumbent Tarik Jamil’s (DMG BS-19) posting as principal secretary to the provincial chief minister a few days ago. Mr Afridi has also worked as secretary for the schools and literacy department.

Rashid Ahmad (DMG BS-20), district coordination officer of Peshawar, has been transferred and posted as secretary for the science and technology and information technology department by replacing Zahur Ahmad Khan Khalil (DMG BS-20), who has been directed to report to the E&AD.

Similarly, Zubair Shah (PCS EG BS-20), secretary for the Auqaf, Haj and minority affairs department, has been directed to report to he E&AD and Abdul Jalil Khan (PCS EG BS-20), secretary for the inter-provincial coordination department, has been posted in his place.

Syed Manzoor Ali Shah (BS-20), who served as secretary for planning and development almost throughout the entire tenure of the MMA government, also fell prey to Thursday’s reshuffling as he has been directed to report to the E&AD. Mohammad Ikram Khan (BS-20), special secretary, planning and development, has been placed as secretary of the department.

Mohammad Ishfaq Khan (PCS SG BS-20), district coordination officer of Nowshera, has been transferred and posted as secretary for population welfare by replacing Sahibzada Fazle Amin (PCS SG BS-20), who has been directed to report to the E&AD.