ISLAMABAD: The government appointed retired Lt Gen Mohammad Alam Khattak as the defence secretary on Monday.

He succeeds retired Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik who stepped down last week on completion of his two-year contract.

Mr Khattak retired from military service in October last year as commander of the Quetta-based Southern Command. He served as the chief of logistics staff at the General Headquarters during 2009-11 and earlier commanded an infantry division and headed the Frontier Corps in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa.

According to a defence analyst, Mr Khattak has an excellent personal rapport with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif.

“He is an easy-going person quite unlike his predecessor Mr Malik,” the analyst said. The appointment of a retired general on contract for heading the bureaucracy of the defence ministry is a clear signal that the posting has once again been done on the recommendation of the army chief.

Civilian bureaucrats have rarely got the chance to lead the ministry which has remained a preserve of retired generals.

The office of the defence secretary, besides its regular role, plays an important role in coordination between the army and the civilian leadership.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2014