LAHORE: The Punjab government has reportedly decided to remove Dr Umar Saif as the chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).
It is learnt that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government approved a summary to replace Dr Saif, and is likely to depute Planning and Development (P&D) Chairman Habibur Rehman Gilani in his place.
The government has not issued any notification in this regard, however, Dr Saif - who is also the vice-chancellor of Lahore's Information Technology University (ITU), appeared to confirm the government’s bid to replace him, saying: “It is the prerogative of the government to appoint anyone they wish … I hope they appoint someone who can take this forward.”
In his Facebook post, Dr Saif shared a message with emotional remarks, "All good things must come to an end. It was a privilege to serve this country for 7 years," adding that that it had been his privilege to serve the country for as long as he could.
Dr Saif, recalling his achievements, wrote "I served 5 successive governments and established two institutions: PITB, which became the main reform engine for the government with over 300 projects in Punjab and other provinces, and ITU, which in just 5 years, became one of the premier technology universities of Pakistan with close to 100 PhD faculty members."
"In the end, I served for as long as I could — beyond provincial boundaries and political divides — and gave it all I had. I am sure those who come in future will take these institutions to new heights."
The development seems to be shocking for some PITB officials, as the Dr Saif, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has led several projects such as Plan9, PlanX and Tech Hubb Connect at the PITB.
Having extensive experience in academia, management, consulting and entrepreneurship in the IT sector, he served the board to play a key role in digitalising the police department, land record and other departments of the Punjab government.