KARACHI: Navid Ahmed Shaikh, a BPS-21 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Services, and Laeeq Ahmed, a BPS-20 officer of the Secretariat Group, were on Saturday appointed the new commissioner and administrator of the city, respectively, replacing Iftikhar Shallwani who held both the offices. Administrator Laeeq Ahmed, who was serving as the Sindh excise, taxation and narcotics control secretary, had previously served as the city administrator from 2015 to 2016.

Mr Shallwani, who had taken the charge of the administrator of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation after the tenure of former city mayor Wasim Akhtar ended a couple of months ago, was directed to report to the services, general administration and coordination department (S&GACD).

He was also given the additional charge of Karachi commissioner in November after the services of former commissioner Sohail Rajput services were returned to the Centre following his promotion to grade-22.

Commissioner Navid Ahmed Shaikh, who was serving as the training, management and research wing secretary in the S&GACD, had previously served in several positions including commissioner of Larkana.

He belongs to the Secretariat Group that comprises officers of all occupational groups according to their allocated share and are posted at senior level in the federal and provincial secretariats and elsewhere as part of the All Pakistan Unified Grades (APUG).

The notifications pertaining to the appointment of Mr Shaikh and Mr Ahmed were issued by the provincial government on Saturday evening.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2020