ISLAMABAD: In the first reshuffle soon after taking oath of his office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday replaced his principal secretary and made the commerce secretary an officer on special duty (OSD).

He also changed the defence production secretary.

According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division, retired Lt Gen Muhammad Chiragh Haider has been appointed the Ministry of Defence Production secretary on a contract basis, on standard terms and conditions, for a period of two years, with effect from March 5. He will replace retired Lt Gen Humayun Aziz.

PM Sharif picked a BS-21 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Asad Rehman Gilani, as his principal secretary, a top position of civil bureaucracy.

On the instructions of the prime minister, the Establishment Division made Commerce Secretary Muhammad Sualeh Ahmed Farauqui, a BS-22 officer of PAS, an OSD.

Commerce, defence production secretaries also changed

Mr Farauqui, the longest-serving PAS officer in the Commerce Division holding important portfolios, has been directed to report to Establishment Division, with immediate effect and until further orders.

The Establishment Division, through another notification, appointed retired Captain Muhammad Khurram Agha, a BS-22 officer of PAS presently posted as secretary to the prime minister, as the commerce secretary, with immediate effect.

The notification for the change of commerce secretary was issued in the first reshuffle in the top bureaucracy, as the sources said massive transfers are expected after the formation of the new cabinet.

The change in the top post of the commerce ministry has been made at a time when the International Monetary Fund has reportedly cast doubts on Pakistan’s export goals by projecting figures that significantly lag behind the target set by the caretaker government’s five-year strategic plan.

The commerce ministry’s five-year strategy, led by ex-caretaker Commerce Minister Gohar Ejaz, proposes an export target of $100 billion. Clothing and textile exports are estimated to reach $50bn, or about half of the total. In addition, $25bn is projected for agriculture and food exports, while $25bn is for engineering, pharmaceutical and industrial exports.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2024