ISLAMABAD: The government is set to appoint a new Managing Director of National Engineering Services Pakistan (Pvt) Limited (NESPAK) — the country’s premier consultancy organization — following the resignation of its Managing Director, Zargham Eshaq Khan, who has stepped down citing health reasons.
“Mr. Khan has resigned from the position of MD due to back problems. The Board has accepted his resignation. However, he will continue to serve as Vice President of NESPAK,” an official source confirmed.
Mr. Khan, who earlier served in the Power Division as Joint Secretary (Power Finance) for about a decade, was repatriated to his parent organization on the orders of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“My contract was for a three-year term, but after two years I have decided to quit,” Mr. Khan confirmed .
Sources in the federal government were of the view that during his tenure, operational matters of NESPAK remained under his close supervision which was cause of concern for the Board.
The matter of Mr. Khan’s position was also raised during a recent meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Senator Saif Ullah Abro. During deliberations on a project involving NESPAK, the company’s representative informed the Committee that Mr. Khan had been sent on forced leave, which the Committee interpreted as his removal.
NESPAK has already been transferred from the Power Division to the Cabinet Division following a decision of the Federal Cabinet.
According to official documents, in October 2023, the Company Secretary had informed the Board that based on the ranking of candidates, it had been decided to appoint the top-ranked candidate — Mr. Zargham Eshaq Khan — as Managing Director NESPAK for a period of three years (extendable at the Board’s discretion), upon approval of the circulated minutes. The terms and conditions, including remuneration, were to be finalized in the subsequent Board meeting after recommendations from the HR Committee.
During that selection process, five candidates were interviewed and evaluated according to the criteria approved by the Board in its 168th meeting held on August 3, 2023. On the basis of academic qualifications, experience, and interviews, the Board unanimously ranked the candidates in the following order: (i) Zargham Eshaq Khan; (ii) Shehryar Salim; (iii) Nadeem Ashraf; (iv) Irfan-ul-Haq; and (v) Ahsan Anwar.
According to sources, the NESPAK Board will now initiate a fresh process for the appointment of Managing Director after obtaining formal consent from the Cabinet Division.
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