Interior secretary resigns for greener pastures

ISLAMABAD: After resigning from the prestigious post of interior secretary, Maj. (R) Azam Suleman has moved on to greener pastures.

He is set to become the ombudsman of Punjab, a position that guarantees four-year tenure and perks and salary benefits of a high court judge. He quit his long bureaucratic career just eight months before his retirement.

Last week, the well-spoken and highly respected District Management Group (DMG) officer Najam Saeed, who was working as the Punjab ombudsman, passed away, rendering the much-sought after position vacant.

Since Azam Suleman was to hang his gloves in February 2021, his, in the words of a senior bureaucrat, survival instinct immediately spotted the statutory post of the Punjab ombudsman, and Prime Minister Imran Khan, who like Pervez Elahi and Shahbaz Sharif, has immense liking for Azam Suleman instantly obliged. His resignation was meant to fulfil the legal requirement of leaving the civil service six month before the new assignment.

Azam Suleman, originally belonging to the Pakistan Military Academy long course, shared with his friends that a decision has been taken to appoint the prime minister to appoint him the Punjab Ombudsman.

Way back in 1991, he was inducted in DMG directly in grade 18, an unusual decision by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. At the time, he was ADC to famous Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-Gen Hamid Gul. Azam Suleman had held this position at very critical times in late eighties.

After having served as assistant commissioner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azam Suleman was posted as the deputy commissioner of Kasur, director of Anti-Corruption Establishment, Lahore, district coordination officer (DCO) of Faisalabad during Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) government in Punjab. He was made secretary of forests and irrigation during Shahbaz Sharif’s rule in 2008-2013. He was one of the blue eyed officers of then chief minister.

Shahbaz Sharif also appointed him to the most important post of the Communications and Works (C&W) secretary. He never had a minister C&W, and kept the portfolio with himself and worked directly with Azam Suleman.

The officer was credited with timely completion of many mega projects during PML-N government (2008-2013) like Pirwadhai overhead bridge of Rawalpindi, Ferozpur Road flyover of Lahore and many underpasses and highways in Punjab. He was a key member of the team responsible for completion of Lahore metro in ten months along with Ahad Cheema, the then director general of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).

On being re-elected as the chief minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif opted for Azam Suleman as his home secretary. It was the most challenging time vis-a-vis terrorism.

Azam Suleman had immaculate understanding with Shahbaz Sharif. He was the only officer in Punjab who continued as home secretary for full five years. When he was promoted to grade 21 and then to grade 22, the chief minister refused to let him go to the federal government and upgraded the post of home secretary to grade 22, which was an unparalleled administrative decision since chief secretary was also in grade 22.

Azam Suleman was also the Punjab home secretary when the Model Town Lahore incident took place. He was responsible for law and order in Punjab during the 2014 and 2017 sit-ins, organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)/Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan at Faizabad.

The military action against “Chotu Gang” was launched in south Punjab during his tenure as the home secretary. Azam Suleman reformed the arms licensing regime and made it IT-based in partnership with the National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra) on the instructions of Shahbaz Sharif and then interior minister Chaudhry Nasir Ali Khan.

During the 2018 general elections, Azam Suleman was posted as the chief secretary of Sindh by the caretaker government.

The present government first made him the climate change secretary in 2018, an assignment too trivial for Azam Suleman’s temperament and track record. He did join it but a day after he was handed over the prize slot of the interior secretary.

As the interior secretary, he clicked with the prime minister since he delivered on facilitatory visa regime and border crossing issues pertaining to Kartarpur corridor.

When, a few months back, the prime minister decided to put the administrative and political house in order in Punjab, he made Azam Suleman the provincial chief secretary. But the officer fell out with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and was unceremoniously removed. This was the first time he had to face a premature transfer against his will in his whole bureaucratic career. However, hours later, he was again made the interior secretary, some two months back.