Islamabad, Aug 31: With immediate effect, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal assumed the role of Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s acceptance of Mohammed Jehanzeb Khan’s resignation on Friday.
The Establishment Division announced that Khan’s resignation was accepted with immediate effect and that one month’s salary will be substituted. Khan will nevertheless carry out his responsibilities as the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s Apex Committee Secretary (SIFC).
Sources claim that Khan and Ahsan Iqbal, the minister of planning, disagreed on a variety of topics. Regarding the Deputy Chairman, the minister had also voiced concerns to the prime minister. According to additional sources, Khan submitted his resignation at the prime minister’s request.
In August 2019, the PTI government named Khan, a former chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue, as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was later reappointed by the PTI government for a three-year term.
Ahsan Iqbal was named Federal Minister for Planning by the PDM government following the overthrow of the PTI government in April 2022. Disagreements between Khan and the ministry of planning soon emerged. Khan subsequently left the position in May 2022 as a result of disagreements with the minister of planning.
Nonetheless, Dr. Jehanzeb Khan was once more appointed by the federal government to the position of deputy head of the Planning Commission in August 2023.
