PM Nawaz appoints Dr Mukhtar Ahmad as HEC chairperson

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday appointed Dr Mukhtar Ahmad as chairperson of Higher Education Commission (HEC), Express News reported. The notification of this appointment has also been issued. Former HEC chief Javaid Laghari’s term had expired on August 26, 2013. On November 12, 2013, the government had handpicked University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (UET) Vice Chancellor Imtiaz Hussain Gilani for the post on acting charge. His tenure ended on February 12, 2014. The government was under strict instructions from the Islamabad High Court to appoint a permanent head at the earliest. Selection In January, the government had announced that a six-member panel would determine the right man for this key job. Three names were dropped for unknown reasons and eventually a three-member committee – headed by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, and including State Bank of Pakistan’s former governor Dr Ishrat Hussain and Dr MB Shami – started its work. The committee, after going through the credentials of the applicants, had initially shortlisted 21 names from among 103 applications. On February 11, Iqbal-led committee chose three names including Ahmad’s. However, all the names were reportedly rejected by the PM, who is the controlling authority. Today, the prime minister appointed Ahmad as the head of the HEC.