Who is Azam Khan?

ISLAMABAD: Azam Khan is the second senior bureaucrat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) who is working as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Previously, Shamsher Ali Khan was only other civil servant from KP to have served in this slot but for a short stint. Mostly, the post has been occupied by officers from Punjab. Officials from Sindh, Balochistan or KP have got this position very rarely.

In the past, leading civilservants like Qazi Aleemullah, Anwar Zahid, Capt (R) Ehsani, AZK Sherdil, Saeed Mehdi, Saleem Abbas Jilani, Ahmad Sadiq, Javed Sadiq Malik, Khalid Saeed, Nargis Sethi, Khusnood Lashari, Nasir Khosa, Javed Aslam and Fawad Hasan Fawad had got this important berth.

Senior most grade-22 officers had been picked up for this position. However, in the recent past, Nargis Sethi, Fawad Hasan Fawad and Azam Khan were in grade 21 when they were made principal secretary. Later, they were promoted to grade 22.

Azam Khan has recently been in the eye of the storm. Former secretary general of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen accused him of conspiring and held him responsible for his falling out with Prime Minister Imran Khan. Tareen was exasperated by the damning report of the inquiry committee led by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) chief into sugar scam.

Then, Shehzad Arbab, former KP chief secretary, who has been adviser to the prime minister on establishment for bureaucratic placements, also pointed a finger at Azam Khan, when he was unceremoniously removed from the position. A couple of days later, he was appointed special assistant to the premier on establishment with status of federal minister. He publically accused Azam Khan of this faux pas. Arbab also heads the cabinet committee which advises the prime minister on appointments of federal secretaries and heads of central institutions. During the 2018 elections, he assisted Imran Khan as head of PTI’s election management cell.

Now, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has voiced her complaint against the principal secretary claiming that she was asked by him to resign as special assistant to the prime minister on information or he will de-notify her. She says only the prime minister has the right and power to calling for her resignation.

Azam Khan preferred to not respond to the claims of all the three figures. However, this is hard fact that a principal secretary never takes any such decision on his own and always does what he is ordered by his boss. A principal secretary normally maintains a low profile. In the context of these assertions, Azam Khan has been finding mention in print and electronic media, prompting many to ask who is Azam Khan.

Azam Khan belongs to the 1990 batch of Central Superior Services (CSS). He topped the 17th Common CSS exam in whole of Pakistan. After having his schooling at Burn Hall Abbottabad, a missionary boarding school very popular with landed aristocracy of KP, he did his Masters in International Relations from Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad. Having secured first position in the nationwide competition, he was allocated to the District Management Group (DMG).

Hailing to a middle class agrarian Yousafzai Pakhtun family from village Kandarkass in Mardan, Azam Khan got a social upgrade when he got married with the daughter of former member of the National Assembly of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Col (R) Nawabzada Amir Khan Hoti of Mardan. Hotis are known as Nawabs of Mardan.

In his formative years, Azam Khan served as the assistant commissioner in Chunian and Taxila. After that, he served in KPK for the next twenty years. He was appointed the deputy commissioner Peshawar after Pervez Musharaf’s military coup. He has also served as the KP chief secretary, additional chief secretary for tribal areas, and secretary for sports, tourism and youth affairs, and home and tribal affairs. He was the home secretary during very challenging times when Taliban played havoc in KP and tribal areas.

Azam Khan got into good books of Imran Khan when he worked as tourism and sports secretary under Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. The PTI chairman has development of tourism as his top priority and developed a liking for Azam Khan’s “can do” attitude.

Azam Khan was in grade 21 when Imran Khan selected him as his principal secretary. Many in civil service were critical of the choice, citing Azam Khan’s lack of experience in federal government. But Azam Khan made up for that deficiency by earning absolute trust of the premier.

Reputed to be a no-nonsense officer, extremely vocal in expression of his views in official meetings, even cabinet sessions, Azam Khan is known to be a man of strong likes and dislikes. He takes care of his CSS batch mates and an example cited by a retired civil servant is that twelve of them are presently federal secretaries.

Azam Khan found himself in rough waters when he was summoned by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Malam Jabba inquiry, which is still hanging over his head and many other politicians and officials.

Considering the power and influence he exercises in official matters and the confidence that the prime minister reposes in him, Azam Khan has made many enemies in the ruling party and bureaucratic circles. His detractors like Tareen accuse him of misguiding and ill-advising Imran Khan, some allege interference in political and administrative affairs of KP by him while others attribute the lack of delivery and performance of the government to his inexperience and haughty attitude.

The powerful bureaucratic position of the principal secretary is also known as “eyes and ears” and “principal adviser” of the prime minister in official circles. It is the most aspired office in the civil service, and the premiers always appoint their most trusted bureaucrats.