ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday formally formed three task forces to meet the government’s goals of austerity, civil services reforms and completion of merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

The Task Force on Austerity and Restructuring of the Government (TFARG) comprises 18 members and it has been tasked with giving recommendations to the government how its (the government’s) expenses could be curtailed and what steps are required for restructuring of the government departments.

The TFARG is headed by former governor and adviser to the prime minister on institutional reforms and austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain. Other members of the force are: Salman Siddiq, former finance secretary; Wajid Rana, former finance secretary; Ijaz Nabi, country director of International Growth Centre (IGC); Roshaneh Zafar, managing director of Kashf Foundation; Tariq Khosa, former federal secretary; Burhan Rasool, general manager of Punjab Information Technology Board; Abdullah Yousuf, former chairman of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR); Rana Ahmad, member of FBR; Asad Ali Shah, former managing partner of Ernst & Young; Taslim Aslam, former foreign secretary; incumbent secretary of finance or his nominee; secretary of establishment or his nominee; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Punjab; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Sindh; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Balochistan. Secretary of the task force to be appointed by the secretary of establishment.

Achievement of goals set for austerity, civil service reforms and Fata-KP merger tasked

Civil service reforms

The Task Force on Civil Service Reforms (TFCR) is headed by Dr Ishrat Hussain. It has 19 members, including Shahid Kardar, Vice Chancellor of Beacon House National University; Dr Sania Nishtar; Suleiman Ghani, retired federal secretary; Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq, former deputy chairman of Planning Commission; Salman Raja, a lawyer; Ali Cheema and Umair Javed of LUMS; Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, former federal secretary; Naheed Durrani, managing director of Sindh Education Foundation; incumbent secretary of cabinet or his nominee; secretary of establishment or his nominee; secretary of planning or his nominee; secretary of finance or his nominee; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Punjab; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Sindh; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of KP; chief secretary/additional chief secretary of Balochistan; secretary of the task force to be appointed by the secretary of establishment.

Fata, Pata merger with KP

The prime minister also approved the constitution of a Task Force for Identification of Impediments & Facilitation of merger of Fata and Pata with KP.

The force is consists of 11 members and is headed by the adviser to the prime minister on establishment as its convener. Other members of the force are: governor of KP; chief minister of KP; Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs; Senator Hidayatullah Khan; federal secretary of SAFRON; chief secretary of KP; additional chief secretary of Fata; representative of MO Directorate in the military General Headquarters; representative of 11 Corps, Peshawar, and Habibullah Khan.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2018