ISLAMABAD - The federal government on Tuesday appointed Babar Yaqoob Fatah, a grade-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Services, as new Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan [ECP] after a delay of several months.
The post of secretary ECP remained vacant for last several months after the retirement of Ishtiak Ahmed Khan and the Chief Election Commissioner handed over the charge of Secretary ECP to ECP Additional Secretary Sher Afghan.
Sources informed this scribe that Establishment Division moved a summary proposing names of three bureaucrats to ECP for the post of new secretary ECP a few months ago. The Establishment Division was hoping for a an early appointment of new secretary ECP after the oath-taking of Justice (Retd) Sardar Raza Khan as new Chief Election Commissioner.
But Sardar Raza Khan also ignored the key appointment of the ECP and did not respond to Establishment Division on the summary. The Establishment Division moved another summary proposing names OF senior bureaucrats, and finally the commission responded THE Establishment Division with approval of the name of Babar Yaqoob Fatah, sources added.  Babar Yaqoob Fatah is a senior bureaucrat and was serving as Secretary Cabinet previously. The federal government had appointed him as Chief Secretary Punjab on December 31, 2014 after the retirement of former Chief Secretary Punjab Naveed Akram Cheema. However, 24 hours after the appointment of Chief Secretary Punjab Babar met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and requested the PM that he could not take the responsibility of the office of Chief Secretary Punjab due to his poor health. Babar Yaqoob had also served as Chief Secretary Balochistan, Secretary Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir Affairs, Secretary Ports and Shipping.