ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday removed Petroleum Secretary Momin Agha from his post and directed him to report to the Establishment Division without assigning any further posting.
Following his removal, Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Ahmad, Additional Secretary Petroleum, has been given the additional charge of petroleum secretary on a look-after basis until a regular appointment is made.
According to informed sources, differences had emerged over the past couple of months between Mr Agha and Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik on several key policy and administrative matters. These reportedly included gas allocation decisions, third-party use of pipeline capacity by the private sector, nominations to boards of public-sector energy companies, and appointments within the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), including the post of chairman.
The discord ultimately led to the abrupt removal of Mr Agha, a Grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service and former member of the District Management Group. A similar situation had unfolded last year, resulting in the transfer of then petroleum minister Dr Musadik Malik to the Climate Change Division.
Separately, the government has appointed Muhammad Khalid Rehman as Managing Director of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) for an interim period of three months, in addition to his current role as Chief Financial Officer.
He replaces Sikandar Ali Memon, who had been serving as interim MD for an extended period but was not allowed to continue after reaching superannuation.
Sources indicate that further changes are expected across various wings and attached companies of the Petroleum Division, as bureaucratic realignments following Mr Agha’s exit are likely to continue in the coming days.
