Has KP chief secretary issue been resolved?

PESHAWAR: The federal government has reportedly agreed to appoint Shahab Ali Shah as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary, following a recommendation by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, sources said.

A senior government official, pleading anonymity, told The News that Gandapur had long been working to have the two top officials, i.e. the inspector general of police and chief secretary, of his choice in KP. However, this did not materialise earlier due to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s agitation against the federal government to release party founder Imran Khan.

As chief minister, Gandapur led two major protest marches on Islamabad, which strained his relations with the federal government. Soon after assuming office, he demanded the replacement of Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and sent a summary to the federal government, proposing the appointment of senior civil servant and former additional chief secretary KP, Shahab Ali Shah as the new chief secretary.

The federal government returned the summary and advised Gandapur to fulfill codal formalities and send three names so that one of them could be considered as chief secretary

The chief minister later sent another summary to the federal government carrying names of three senior civil servants, including Shahab Ali Shah, Dr Shahzad Bangash and Munir Azam Khan.

During his first meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the chief minister reiterated his demand for Shahab Ali Shah’s appointment as chief secretary. However, the federal government initially rejected his request.

Gandapur proposed another senior officer, Shakil Qadir Khan, who is currently serving as the chief secretary of Balochistan. While the federal government agreed to transfer Shakil Qadir Khan to KP, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti reportedly refused to relieve him.

“Now, the federal government has decided to accept Ali Amin Gandapur’s demand and has agreed to appoint Shahab Ali Shah as chief secretary,” the government official said.

The official claimed the chief minister facilitated the federal government in appointing Zulfiqar Hameed as the KP police chief, and in return Gandapur “will have Shahab Ali Shah appointed as chief secretary”.

Shahab Ali Shah, a BPS-21 officer of Pakistan’s Administrative Service (PAS), was born on May 5, 1974, in Kotka Mulagan village near Bannu Woolen Mills in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He earned a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Peshawar.

He began his career on September 1, 1999, as Assistant Commissioner (UT) Sargodha, Punjab, before being posted as Assistant Commissioner Shahpur, Sargodha, from February 16, 2001, to August 13, 2001.

On August 14, 2001, he was appointed Deputy District Officer Revenue, Shahpur, Sargodha, and later transferred to Jhang, where he served from December 10, 2001, to January 22, 2003. The federal government then transferred his services to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then North West Frontier Province), appointing him as Assistant Political Officer (APO), South Waziristan, in Tank on February 10, 2003, where he served until May 19, 2004.

He later served as Assistant Political Agent (APA), Lower Mohmand, from May 20, 2004, to December 28, 2004, before being posted as Assistant Commissioner (General), Afghan Refugees, from December 29, 2004, to October 29, 2005.

Shahab Ali Shah was subsequently appointed Deputy Coordination Officer (DCO) Swat from October 30, 2005, to November 21, 2006, and later held similar roles in Kohat and Hangu.

On August 12, 2008, he was appointed Political Agent, South Waziristan Agency, a position he held until September 2010.

He then served as Provincial Finance Controller, Finance Department, from September 3, 2010, to June 26, 2011, before being appointed Political Agent, Kurram Agency, in 2011.

On October 16, 2012, he was made Chief Economist, P&D Department, a position he held until January 22, 2014. He later secured a key post as Political Agent, Khyber Agency, serving from January 23, 2014, to February 8, 2016.

Shahab Ali Shah was then appointed Secretary, P&D Department, from November 22, 2016, to September 26, 2017, before being posted as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from September 27, 2017, to February 11, 2018. On February 12, 2018, he was appointed Commissioner Peshawar and later became Secretary, P&D Department, in March 2019. He was reappointed as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on March 8, 2019, holding the position until May 26, 2021. His last posting in KP was as Additional Chief Secretary, P&D, from May 27, 2021, to January 10, 2023, when the caretaker government was formed in the province.