ISLAMABAD - President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday appointed senior bureaucrat Syed Tahir Shahbaz as federal ombudsman for a period of four years.
According to the notification (copy available with The Nation), “In exercise of powers conferred by Article 3 and 4 of the Establishment of the office of Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Order 1983 (P.O.1 of 1983), the President is pleased to appoint Syed Tahir Shahbaz as Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) for a period of four years from the date he takes oath of the office”. The post of Wafaqi Mohtasib was vacant after the completion of four years’ tenure of outgoing Ombudsman Salman Farooqi.
The outgoing Secretary Establishment Division Wednesday also chaired a meeting of Departmental Promotion Board and approved the promotions of 300 officers of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), Secretariat group and Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) to grade 19.
Syed Tahir Shahbaz is a seasoned bureaucrat and had served on different key posts, including Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Registrar Supreme Court. The apex court has also appointed him as chairman scrutiny committee in illegal appointments case in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which is hearing the cases of officers on daily basis. Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered the NAB to sack the services of four DGs on the recommendations of the committee.
Sources claimed that the federal government would appoint a permanent Secretary Establishment Division after the meeting of High Powered Promotion Board, which was scheduled last week but it could not be held due to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s busy timetable. They said acting charge of the post of Secretary Establishment could be given to Special Secretary Establishment Division.