The Punjab government has carried out a major administrative reshuffle, transferring a string of senior officers and appointing Bilal Akbar as the new Commissioner of Lahore.
Under the reshuffle, Zaid Bin Maqsood, who was serving as Lahore Commissioner, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner Bahawalpur. The notification says the transfers take effect immediately.
Tariq Mehmood Bakir, the Director General of Anti-Corruption, has been posted as Commissioner Sargodha, while Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Khan, the Secretary for Labour and Human Resource Development, has been posted as Director General of Anti-Corruption.
Muhammad Ashfaq, who was Commissioner Bahawalpur, has been posted as Additional Secretary in the Agriculture and Marketing Department. Naveed Akbar, the Chief Administrator of Lahore, has been appointed Managing Director of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.
Dr Shahid Manzoor, who was Commissioner Sargodha, has been posted as Secretary for Labour and Human Resource Development. Several other officers of the Punjab Food Authority and the Agriculture Department have also been moved to new postings, according to the notification.
The reshuffle covers a number of senior posts across the province, from divisional commissioners to departmental heads. Administrative transfers of this kind are a routine part of the provincial government’s working, but the change at the top in Lahore makes this round significant. The commissioner is the administrative head of the division, overseeing the district administration, development work and coordination between departments. The commissioner chairs meetings of the district administration, monitors development schemes and acts as the link between the provincial government and the districts in the division.
Lahore is the province’s largest city and its administrative centre, so the commissioner there carries one of the most important field assignments in Punjab. In Lahore, the post also involves coordination with the city’s municipal and development bodies. The new commissioner takes charge as the city administration continues its routine work across departments, from municipal services to development projects.
The officers will take up their new assignments with immediate effect, according to the notification issued by the provincial government. Further postings in the reshuffle are expected to follow as the administration settles the new arrangement.
