ISLAMABAD: Nearly a week after Omar Hamid Khan resigned as the Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the electoral body announced the appointment of Syed Asif Hussain to the prominent position ahead of the February 8 polls.
The decision was made following the approval of Khan’s resignation by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja. Khan, who served as the ECP’s secretary from July 2021 to January 2024, was granted a waiver of the one-month notice period for his resignation.
In the earlier part of this month, Khan, a retired grade 22 officer of the Secretariat Group, and former special secretary of finance, secretary of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), and national food security, stepped down due to health concerns. The ECP confirmed that Khan was on medical rest because of health issues.
A statement from the ECP described Khan as an intelligent and hardworking officer, currently on medical rest, with the assurance that he would resume his duties promptly upon recovery.
Meanwhile, CEC Sikander Sultan Raja appointed Syed Asif Hussain, who was serving as a special secretary, as the new Secretary of the ECP. Hussain had earlier assumed the additional charge during Khan’s absence.
Additionally, the electoral body announced various transfers and postings of officers in the “public interest.” Among these changes, Saeed Gul, who was serving as Punjab’s Provincial Election Commissioner, has been appointed as Director General Elections Cell & Head of Elections Wing at the ECP’s Islamabad secretariat.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
