LAHORE, Nov 12: The government of Punjab appointed nine divisional commissioners on Wednesday to oversee the working of district governments and ensure policy implementation. The posts were abolished seven years ago when the new local government system was introduced.

The post of Lahore Commissioner has been given to former home secretary Khusro Pervaiz Khan.

Chief Secretary Javaid Mahmood celebrated the occasion with a family dinner for all administrative secretaries, new commissioners and senior police officers at his official residence.

Sources said the commissioners would assume charge of their office on Thursday under the natural authority of the provincial government.

The decision to notify the commissioners’ names was taken after an agreement between the PML-N and the PPP. The sources said that the PPP had recommended commissioners of Multan and Sahiwal.

Senior Punjab officials involved in the process of selection and posting of the commissioners said that there were no differences between the two parties over the issue and all officers had been appointed ‘purely on merit’.

The chief secretary, it is said, had short-listed 13 officers who ‘could deliver’.

According to a notification, P&D Board Member Ijaz Ali Zaigham has been posted as Sargodha Commissioner and Mohammad Ali Gardezi as Multan Commissioner.

Secretary Tourism Khusro Pervaiz Khan has been posted as project director of the project management unit of Lahore Ring Road and given the additional charge of Lahore Commissioner till further orders.

Punjab Seed Corporation’s Managing Director Khalid Masood Chaudhary has been posted as Gujranwala Commissioner, Registrar of the Punjab Cooperatives Societies Hassan Iqbal as Dera Ghazi Khan Commissioner, Director-General of the Sustainable Development of the Walled City Project Haseeb Athar as Rawalpindi Commissioner.

Bahawalpur DCO Mohammad Mushtaq Ahmad will take over as Commissioner.

Special Secretary of the Local Government Department Tariq Mahmood Khan has been appointed Sahiwal Commissioner and OSD Zahid Saeed as Faisalabad Commissioner.

Under consequential postings, Sports Secretary Munawar Abbas Shah has been made an OSD and he has been replaced by Director-General of Parks and Horticulture Authority Iftikhar Ahmad.

Managing director of the Punjab Tourism Development Corporation Mian Waheeduddin has been given additional charge of Secretary Tourism, which fell vacant after the transfer of Khusro Pervaiz Khan.

Punjab Ombudsman’s Secretary Abdur Rauf Khan has been posted as Labour Secretary in place of Mr Gardezi (Multan Commissioner).

Special secretary of agriculture marketing Javaid Akhtar has been given additional charge of MD Punjab Seed Corporation.

Cooperatives Department Secretary Mirza Suhail Aamir has been given additional charge of registrar of the Cooperatives Societies in place of Dera Ghazi Khan Commissioner Hassan Iqbal.

Secretary of the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority Azam Suleman Khan has been posted as Forest Secretary.

Secretary Information Orya Maqbool Abbasi was given additional charge of DG Sustainable Development of Walled City Project.

Bahawalpur EDO (Revenue) Nasir Mahmood Bashir has been given additional charge of DCO Bahawalpur in place of Mr Mushtaq Ahmad.OSD Shahzad Ahmad Cheema has been posted as Transport Secretary.

Excise Secretary Hassan Nawaz Tarar gets the additional charge of Secretary Population Welfare.

Teachers’ Training Programme project director Mohammad Aslam was posted as managing director of Wasa, and OSD Joudat Ayaz has been posted as Additional Secretary, Finance.