MD OGDCL resigns after 21 months

ISLAMABAD: Shahid Salim, who was appointed on January 1, 2020 as Managing Director of Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL) for three-year tenure, resigned here on Tuesday after just 21 months, raising eyebrows of many. “The Board of Directors of OGDCL that is to meet within days will accord formal approval to the resignation tendered by Shahid Salim,” top official sources told The News adding that surprisingly, in his place, the name of Anas Farooq, who is deputy Chief Financial Officer, is being tipped as acting Managing Director of the OGDCL. For the last some weeks, Anas Farooq has been performing as acting CFO after Irteza Qureshi quit OGDCL as CFO. Irteza Qureshi has recently joined the Pak-Arab Refinery Company (PARCO) as DMD (Deputy Managing Director). They said that the Board is also likely to approve Anas Farooq, who is a junior officer in OGDCL as acting Managing Director. Some top guns in the Energy Ministry want Anas Farooq as acting MD OGDCL for the period for ‘questionable reasons’ till the new managing director is appointed.

Shahid Salim Khan is a Petroleum Engineer by profession having MS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California, USA. He has more than 40 years of diversified hands-on experience in various disciplines of E&P sector, including HSE, petroleum engineering, drilling, production operations, community relations and community development. Khan has worked in different capacities with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Eni Pakistan Limited (An Italian Company), LASMO Oil Pakistan (London & Scottish Oil Company) and Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd.

Shahid Salim also confirmed to The News that he has submitted his resignation with the Board of Directors of OGDCL. He said that he has tendered his resignation because of personal reasons and health reasons and wanted to give time to his family. He said that he stepped up efforts to improve the governance, procedure and system in the OGDCL during his tenure. Salim said he spent 40 years in the oil and gas sector and had started his career from OGDCL. When asked what factors compelled him to resign and not allowed him to complete his three-year tenure as regular Managing Director, Salim paused and then said he wanted to give time to his family.

Earlier, MD OGDCL Shahid Salim confirmed to National Assembly Member Naveed Qamar he had tendered his resignation on health grounds during the proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting held here on Tuesday. The sources in the Energy Ministry and OGDCL said that Shahid Salim had no comfort level with top decision makers in the Energy Ministry and some board members. They also claimed that appointment of Shahid Salim as MD didn’t prove good for the OGDCL as he was found and observed not up to the mark.

Till the appointment of Shahid Salim as MD, the OGDCL remained without a formal managing director since 2013. Masood Siddiqui was the last regular managing director of the entity who served just for a year and a half and then opted to resign.