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Ahad Cheema

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Ahad Cheema
Federal Minister of Economic Affairs
Assumed office
11 March 2024
PresidentAsif Ali Zardari
Prime MinisterShehbaz Sharif
Member of Senate of Pakistan
Assumed office
4 April 2024
Advisor to PM in Establishment Division
In office
10 August 2023 – 26 December 2023
PresidentArif Alvi
Prime MinisterShehbaz Sharif

Ahad Khan Cheema is a retired Pakistani bureaucrat who is the current Federal Minister of Economic Affairs, appointed on 11 March 2024.[1][2][3] Previously, he has served as a chief executive officer (CEO) of the Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power Company and director-general of the Lahore Development Authority.[4] In 2018, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Cheema on charges related to irregularities in the Ashiana Housing Scheme project during his time as chairman of the LDA.[5] The investigation also involved former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad and Shehbaz Sharif.[5] Cheema was released on bail in 2021 after spending three years in jail and was acquitted of all charges by the NAB in 2023.[5] He took retirement from civil service in January 2023.[6]

Early life and education

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Ahad Cheema was born into a Punjabi Jat family of the Cheema clan in Hafizabad, Punjab, Pakistan to an agricultural family.[4]

He studied Economic and Political Science at the University of the Punjab and later the London School of Economics.[7]

After completing his education, he joined Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) in 2001.[4][6]

Professional career

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Cheema has served in execution positions as chief executive officer (CEO), director or board member of companies such as Pakistan Telecommunication Co. Ltd, Pak Arab Refinery Ltd and Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power (Pvt) Ltd.[7]

Administration career

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Under Pervaiz Elahi

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In 2005, Cheema was selected by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to manage the Parah Likha Punjab project, a World Bank-supported initiative aimed at increasing literacy in Punjab.[4]

Under Shehbaz Sharif

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Cheema has been part of Shehbaz Sharif's ministry since 2008, when Sharif first became the Chief Minister of Punjab.[5] During Sharif's tenure as Chief Minister, Cheema served as the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore as well as the Director General of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).[5]

In 2012, Cheema was chosen by the chief minister to oversee and monitor the Lahore Metro Bus System (MBS) project.[4] As the director general of the LDA from March 2012, Cheema completed the project in a record time of 11 months.[4] In recognition of his outstanding services in constructing the Lahore metro, he received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz from the President of Pakistan.[4] Later, due to this project, he became known in bureaucratic circles as the "metro man".[4]

Political career

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Advisor to the Prime Minister

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In 2023, Cheema was appointed as the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Establishment Division following Shehbaz Sharif's appointment as Prime Minister of Pakistan.[5] He continued to serve in this role during the caretaker government after Sharif's term ended in the Kakar caretaker ministry.[8] However, the Election Commission of Pakistan ordered the caretaker government to remove Cheema from the caretaker cabinet following a petition filed against him.[5] The President of Pakistan approved his removal in December 2023.[5]

Federal Minister of Economic Affairs

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On 11 March 2024, Cheema assumed the role of Federal Minister of Economic Affairs within the cabinet led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.[1] Notably, Cheema was appointed to the federal cabinet prior to being elected as a member of parliament.[9] According to Pakistan's constitution, his tenure as a minister is limited to six months in the absence of parliamentary membership.[10]

Controversies

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Ashiana Housing Scheme

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In 2018, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Cheema on charges related to irregularities in the Ashiana Housing Scheme project during his time as chairman of the LDA.[5] The investigation also involved former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad and Shehbaz Sharif.[5] Cheema was released on bail in 2021 after spending three years in jail and was acquitted of all charges by the NAB in 2023.[5] He took retirement from civil service in January 2023.[6]

Aitchison Principal's Resignation

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On March 25, 2024, Michael A. Thompson, the Australian principal of Aitchison College, resigned, citing interference by the Governor's House in college administration. Reports suggest his resignation was influenced by a dispute over fee waivers, involving Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman granting leave and a three-year fee waiver to the sons of Cheema.[11]

In June 2022, Cheema's wife, a civil servant, requested a fee waiver for their sons due to her transfer to Islamabad. She sought a leave of absence, but the principal denied the fee waiver, citing policy. Governor Rehman intervened on March 21, 2024, granting the sons a leave of absence with a full fee waiver, sparking the principal's resignation and raising concerns about political interference in the college's administration.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "New finance minister appointed".
  2. ^ "Shehbaz Sharif allocates portfolios to federal ministers".
  3. ^ "19-member federal cabinet takes oath". 11 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Butt, Tariq (February 23, 2018). "Who is Ahad Cheema". The News International.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "شہباز شریف کی 19 رُکنی کابینہ میں شامل 'نئے چہرے' کون ہیں؟" [Who are the 'new faces' in Shehbaz Sharif's 19-member cabinet?]. BBC Urdu. March 11, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Disillusioned Punjab officer Ahad Khan Cheema bids farewell to civil service". 4 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Profile". Market Screener. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024.
  8. ^ "President Alvi approves Ahad Cheema's removal as PM's adviser". 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ Editorial (2024-03-12). "PDM redux". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  10. ^ "Chapter 3: "The Federal Government" of Part III: "The Federation of Pakistan"". www.pakistani.org. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  11. ^ a b Gabol, Imran (2024-03-26). "Controversy erupts as Aitchison principal resigns over governor's interference". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-04-01.