PESHAWAR: The provincial government has replaced additional chief secretary Fata, Arbab Mohammad Arif with secretary sports and tourism Mohammad Azam Khan, and posted the former as commissioner Hazara, according to a notification issued here the other day.

Abid Ali has been posted as secretary sports in place of Azam Khan. Mohammad similarly, Ali Shazada has been posted as secretary RRS, Alamgir Shah as special secretary establishment, while Kamran Shah has been posted as special secretary local government & rural development department.

The change of guards at the Fata Secretariat has been in circulation for quite some time, but officials say Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan wanted to take his time to understand the situation before introducing major bureaucratic reshuffle.

Azam Khan has also served as political agent of South Waziristan and Kurram Agencies, deputy commissioner and commissioner of Peshawar, and secretary home & tribal affairs department. He also worked as managing director of Sarhad Development Authority and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Corporation.

Officials said that the governor wanted to introduce massive reforms in the Fata administrative system and bring more transparency in its financial and development management.

Arbab Mohammad Arif, a senior DMG officer, has served as secretary home & tribal affairs department as well as political agent of Khyber and North Waziristan.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2014