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Sources say PM extended Anwer’s tenure on Maleeha’s request
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has adopted a pick and choose policy in terms of making an appointment on important positions at the foreign mission of Pakistan.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the prime minister has extended Anwer’s contract as a Press Minister in New York for the fourth time.
The contract, which has been extended for six months, will expire in June. It is important to mention that his third-time extension ended on December 31, 2017.
Sources have revealed that the PM, without informing the Information Ministry, extended the tenure of Anwer on the request of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi.
Masood Anwer, a retired bureaucrat of the Information Group, is working as the press minister since June 2016. Even though this seat belongs to the Information Group, it seems that the government is not interested in appointing any officer from there.
It is worth mentioning here that Maleeha had managed to extend the contract of Anwer for the third time, citing the reasons that the “Pakistan Mission in New York cannot afford to leave the post vacant for any length of time. It is requested that the incumbent press minister, Masood Anwer, whose contract is to expire on January 31, 2017, be extended until December 2017. This will ensure continuity in the mission’s work and allow time for the information ministry to address litigation issues and select a suitable replacement.”
Sources further told that government is not making new appointments on important press councillors or attaché positions since January 2016.
No officer has been appointed to the slot of Moscow and Berlin after the retirement of Ghulam Haidar and Raja Qayyam. The ministry had recommended the name of Shahira Shahid for press attaché slot in India, but sources said that she was more interested in going to New York.
Meanwhile, Ali Nawaz and Abdul Akbar are working in Hong Kong and Turkey respectability, even though their tenure has already ended. However, the government has not appointed any new officer there, so they are continuing the job there.
Moreover, the slots of economic ministers are also vacant since 2016. Mohsin Chandna was serving as the economic minister in Washington, but he came back after his tenure ended. Other two were serving in Tokyo and Beijing.
Sources further added that government is planning to create a seat for economic minister in London, UK, as well and a process will be started soon in this regard.
Despite repeated attempts, PM’s spokesperson and information secretary could not be reached.