ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain administered on Monday the oath to retired Maj Gen Niaz Mohammad Khan Khattak as chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), a government organisation that deals with selection and promotion of senior bureaucrats.

Mr Khattak is the second general to have been appointed as FPSC chairman. Lt Gen Jamshed Gulzar Kiani, a former corps commander, held the post during the Musharraf regime.

Mr Khattak has replaced Malik Asif Hayat who resigned in August. Mr Hayat was appointed by then president Asif Ali Zardari in January last year for a four-year period, but having reached superannuation he had to leave the office. He had been made the chairman on the completion of the tenure of former Supreme Court judge Rana Bhagwandas in December 2012.

The term of Mr Khattak, who has also served in the Inter-Services Intelligence, will expire next year.

Mr Khattak has been appointed days after the apex court cleared the way for the government to make key appointments in federal departments, autonomous bodies and corporations.

The swearing-in ceremony at the presidency was attended by members of the FPSC, secretary Establish­ment Division and senior officers of the President Secretariat, the president’s spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the commission in its annual report for the year 2014 presented to the president has reportedly complained that the government has ignored some of its major ‘advices and recommendations’ to reform the recruitment system, improve the quality of human resources, ‘professionalise’ the civil service and make the FPSC more effective through empowerment and autonomy.

Published in Dawn, November 18th , 2014