KARACHI, April 16: Mohammad Ijaz Chaudhry — who was transferred from the office of the secretary of the Board of Investment, Islamabad and posted as new chief secretary of the Sindh government — took over the charge of his new responsibilities as chief secretary on Tuesday followed by introductory meeting with the government functionaries concerned.

Earlier his predecessor Raja Mohammad Abbas left the charge on Monday to join as the secretary of the Board of Investment at Islamabad from where he would retire on December 19.

The order to transfer the chief secretaries of Punjab and Sindh was issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan on March 27, which was complied only in Punjab immediately.

The EC had taken the notice of the failure of the Sindh government to implement its instruction, which now stood complied with on Tuesday.

Mr Chaudhry is 52nd chief secretary after Sindh got status of province in 1937 and 36th chief secretary since 1970 when Sindh regained its provincial status after repeal of the One Unit.

Earlier Mr Chaudhry had also served in Sindh in different capacities between 1981 and 1993 beginning as assistant commissioner in Larkana, Jacobabad and as SDM of Karachi central, deputy commissioner of Thatta, deputy commissioner district central of Karachi and deputy commissioner of Nawabshah.

In 1993 he was posted as the DCO in Multan from where his services were transferred to the federal government where for next six years he served as federal secretary of privatisation, minority affairs, petroleum, and secretary of the Board of Investment.