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• Industries and production secretary to handle affairs until full-time appointment
• PARC chief’s nomination also hangs in balance ahead of key Pak-China moot on farming
ISLAMABAD: After failing to appoint a full-time national food security secretary, the government on Wednesday assigned the post as an additional charge to an official already serving at the same position in another portfolio, until a regular one was arranged for the ministry.
Retired Captain Saif Anjum, a grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, presently serving as industries and production secretary, has been assigned the additional charge of the national food security and research secretary, in addition to his existing duties, for a period of three months or until the posting of a regular one, with immediate effect.
Amir Mohyuddin, a grade-21 officer of the Secretariat Group who was posted as the additional secretary of national food security and holding the current charge of the ministry, has been transferred and directed to report to the Establishment Division with immediate effect.
The ministry, which is primarily responsible for policy formulation, economic coordination, and planning for food grains and agriculture, has witnessed frequent changes at the secretary level. Its current minister is Rana Tanveer Hussain.
The ministry is still in the process of finalising a national wheat policy, the process for which started months ago.
Wheat sowing for the 2025-26 Rabi season has already been completed, as the ministry faces the massive task of handling the upcoming crop with an interim policy.
The last full-time national food security secretary was Waseem Amjad Chaudhry, whose tenure lasted for nearly a year before he was transferred to parliamentary affairs ministry.
Before Mr Chaudhry, retired Captain Muhammad Mahmud, Zafar Hassan, Omer Hamid Khan, and Hashim Populzai served as food security secretary over a period of six years.
While the ministry is struggling to have a regular secretary, the appointment of a full-time chairman of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) hangs in the balance as well.
PARC chief
A summary for the appointment of a regular PARC chairman, following completion of the selection process, is ready to be sent to the prime minister’s office.
However, until the appointment of full-time PARC is finalised, the affairs of the apex agriculture research body are being managed by the national food security ministry.
In the meantime, the national food security ministry is organising the Pak-China Agriculture Investment Conference in Islamabad on Jan 19. The conference is expected to lead to the signing of joint ventures and partnership agreements between public and private sector entities of the two countries.
The upcoming conference has been described by the ministry’s officials as a defining platform for Pakistan-China agricultural cooperation — uniting sustainable practices with cutting-edge innovation.
Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2026
