Azam Khan directed to report to establishment division

ISLAMABAD: With the no-confidence motion reaching its climax, Mohammad Azam Khan, BS-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, serving as Secretary to Prime Minister Imran Khan, was transferred and directed to report to the Establishment Division.

Top official sources confirmed on Saturday night that Azam Khan has also sought ex-Pakistan leave and the competent authority also granted him three weeks' leave. The DG Intelligence Bureau was also granted three months' leave as he will stay within the country.

According to a notification issued on Saturday, "Azam Khan is transferred from Secretary to PM Office and directed to report to Establishment Division with immediate effect and until further orders." It is relevant to mention here that Azam Khan also managed to get the prized posting and notification was issued in February last, appointing him as Executive Director/Alternate Executive Director in the World Bank Washington, D.C. It was a quite an interesting move that he would assume his charge from November 1, 2022 because the incumbent ED working in WB Naveed Kamran Baloch will complete his reduced tenure on October 31, 2022.

This notification was done in so much haste that the official notification used "Word Bank" instead of World Bank showing that the competent authority was in indecent haste to issue formal notification.

The notification issued on February 21, 2022 stated that Mr. Mohammad Azam, a BS-22 of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) presently posted as Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office is transferred and appointed as Executive Director/Alternate Executive Director 'Word Bank Group' for a term of four years upon expiry of the term of incumbent on 31-10-2022. Nobody even bothered to read the official notification carefully for granting prized position to handpicked bureaucrat. The official sources said that this notification should have separately illustrated that out of the four years tenure, he will serve as Executive Director for two years and another two years as Alternate Executive Director in the WB based in Washington, DC.

There is another element of unjustified action taken related to this notification as it is done almost eight months prior to expiry of the tenure of the incumbent ED in the World Bank.