Senior journalist and former caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi has been appointed spokesperson for the President of Pakistan, he confirmed on Wednesday.

A former director general of Radio Pakistan, Solangi served as the caretaker minister for information and broadcasting from August 2023 to March 2024.

“Mr Murtaza Solangi is appointed as Spokesperson of the President of Pakistan on honorary/pro bono basis with immediate effect until further orders,” said a notification by the president’s secretary, Muhammad Shakeel Malik yesterday.

“A little personal news,” Solangi wrote on X today. “I have been appointed the Spokesperson of the President of Pakistan. I will assume my new responsibilities starting tomorrow. Thank you.”

During his tenure at Radio Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, Solangi oversaw a workforce spanning 64 broadcasting units and over 3,000 individuals. He also forged partnerships with international news organisations, including Voice of America, China Radio International, and Deutsche Welle.

He was the first Pakistani elected as the vice president and the acting president of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.

In 2011, he was bestowed with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award by the President of Pakistan.