ISLAMABAD - The federal government on Friday appointed Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officer Captain (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha as new Secretary Interior following days of reports that differences have developed between interior minister and Prime Minister’s Office over this key appointment. In a major reshuffle, the government also removed Islamabad Police Inspector General (IG) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, a BS-20 officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and appointed Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi as the new police chief of the capital city.
The appointment of Agha, a BS-22 officer of PAS, has ended the ongoing rumours regarding appointment of Punjab Police IG Dr. Usman Anwar, a PSP officer, as secretary interior.
Few days ago, some media reports indicated that there were differences between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over key appointments including secretary interior and heads of other departments that come under the latter’s ministry.
This piece of information got some credence when the PM reconstituted the Committee of the Cabinet on Exit Control List (ECL) on March 27 and excluded the name of Naqvi from it. The Ministry of Interior maintains the ECL – a no fly list – and the interior minister in the past was considered an important member of the Committee on ECL.
Interestingly, Minister of Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain have been made members of the committee.
The position of the secretary interior was vacant since last Wednesday (March 27) when Aftab Akbar Durrani, a BS-22 officer of PAS, retired after reaching the age of superannuation.
The appointment of a new secretary interior has also faded hopes of the Police Service of Pakistan that the coveted position will go back to the professional group of police. The position remains with the PAS for over a decade despite many within the bureaucracy asserting that the bureaucratic set-up of the Ministry of Interior should be headed by a police officer as it deals with the law and order and border management.
According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division, Agha was posted as Secretary Commerce prior to his transfer to the new position. The new secretary interior earlier served as Secretary to the Prime Minister in the caretaker set-up. Prior to this, he served as the federal secretary communications, chairman National Highway Authority and chief secretary Gilgit-Baltistan. He is the son of a retired major general and is linked to a renowned politician family of south Punjab.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Police IG Dr. Akbar Nasir was directed to report in the Establishment Division. Syed Ali Nasir, a BS-20 officer of the police service, will be the new Islamabad Police chief. He was earlier serving in the Punjab Government.