ISLAMABAD: In his first bureaucratic move, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed senior bureaucrat Tauqir Shah as his principal secretary.
In a notification by the Establishment Division, Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, Grade BS-21 officer, has been appointed as Secretary to the Prime Minister with immediate effect under Section 10 of the Civil Services Act, 1973.
Shah had already served Shehbaz Sharif as his personal secretary when the latter was Chief Minister Punjab. Shah has also served as the Pakistan’s representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He was currently awaiting posting at the Establishment Division.
He entered bureaucracy in 1990 and secured a place in the competitive District Management Group (DMG). Before 1990, he practiced as a medical doctor for three years.
According to reports, administrative and bureaucratic changes are set to be made as Shehbaz Sharif assumes charge as prime minister. Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sanaullah Abbasi and Interior Secretary Yousuf Naseem Khokar are among government officers likely to be replaced.
The FIA had been investigating Shehbaz Sharif and his family including Hamza Shehbaz and Salman Shehbaz for Rs16 billion’s alleged money laundering for the past couple of years.
Director FIA Punjab Lahore Zone-1 DIG Dr Muhammad Rizwan and his team had already submitted a challan in the court against Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza who have not been indicted despsite passage of several months.
Senior bureaucrats including Azam Khan, former Principal Secretary to former PM Imran Khan, sugar inquiry team head Dr Muhammad Rizwan and former director general Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab DIG Gohar Nafees have already been put in the stop list to prevent them from leaving the country.
According to reports, senior police officers including AD Khawaja, Rai Tahir and Dr Usman Anwar are being considered for the post of DG FIA. The chief secretaries and IGPs of various provinces are most likely to be replaced as well.