ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday appointed Ahad Cheema, a former civil servant and senior bureaucrat, as Adviser to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Establishment.

A notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Thursday states: “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 19 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to appoint Ahad Khan Cheema, as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Establishment, with the status of federal minister, with immediate effect.”

A few days ago, Ahad Cheema had resigned from the civil service regretting that when he was roped into a politically motivated campaign spearheaded by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ahead of the 2018 general election, his employer (the government of Pakistan), had acted as a silent spectator, which showed its distrust on him.

Mr Cheema had been in jail from February from 2018 to April 2021, while being under trial in different NAB references. His resignation/retirement from service was accepted by Prime Minister’s Office on June 4.