ISLAMABAD: In a move ostensibly aimed at ensuring continuity at the helm of the country’s premier civilian intelligence agency, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a four-year contract extension for Fuad Asadullah Khan as director general of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

According to two separate notifications issued by the Establishment Division on Friday, the PM has extended the contract appointment of the grade 22 intelligence officer.

While one notification confirms that Mr Khan will continue to remain posted as director general “until further orders”, another clarifies that his contract as additional director general has been extended for a fresh period of four years, effective July 14, 2026, on existing terms and conditions.

The notifications, carrying the reference number 1/22/2022/E-VI, effectively consolidate Mr Khan’s position as the head of the Intelligence Bureau Division.

Mr Khan is a career intelligence officer known for remaining firmly behind the curtain. He has been at the helm of IB during a period marked by complex internal security challenges and political transitions. The extension comes at a time when the government is grappling with trouble on multiple fronts, including economic stabilisation and counter-terrorism operations.

Copies of the notification have been dispatched to the Adviser to the PM, the President’s Secretariat, the Cabinet Division, and the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR), among others.

Mr Khan has also been directed to furnish a charge assumption report to the Director (PD) and Section Officer (E-VI) of the Establishment Division.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026