Gondal appointed Punjab chief secretary

ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary for Ports and Shipping Khizar Hayat Gondal has been appointed Chief Secretary Punjab and will be assuming his new assignment today (Thursday) in Lahore.
His appointment was made on Wednesday when on Monday Federal Secretary for Cabinet Affairs Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad regretted to take up the job due to personal reasons. Highly-placed sources told The News that eversince he was appointed to the slot, he quietly persuaded the authorities concerned here that it wouldn’t be convenient for him to assume the office in Lahore due to personal reasons. He submitted to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in black and white on Wednesday morning that he should be allowed to continue serving in the federal capital and the prime minister, who was proceeding to Bahrain, accepted his submission and allowed him to retain the incumbent office.
In the meanwhile, the PM ordered the appointment of Khizar Hayat Gondal as Chief Secretary Punjab.Naveed Akram Cheema, who was the Chief Secretary Punjab, attained superannuation on 31st of December and relinquished the charge on that day.
Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad is a known upright and dignified officer and he served as the chief secretary Balochistan for more than two years at a crucial time with three chief ministers, including Nawab Aslam Raisani, and before that he was the chief secretary Gilgit-Baltistan.
Interestingly, Babar Yaqoob requested for relieving him from the slot of the chief secretary Balochistan last year and his request was reluctantly accepted by the premier. Thus, Babar Yaqoob was posted in the federal capital, the sources said.