Pakistan: Sartaj Aziz appointed deputy chairman of planning commission

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has appointed former top diplomat Sartaj Aziz as the deputy chairman of planning commission while retained retired general Nasir Janjua as the national security advisor.

Abbasi, 58, was sworn-in as Pakistan's 18th prime minister on August 1 after the Supreme Court disqualified the incumbent Nawaz Sharif for dishonesty following the Panama papers scandal.

Aziz, who was an adviser to the PM on foreign affairs during Sharif's tenure, was appointed deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, with the status of a federal minister, according to a statement issued by the PM Office yesterday.

The position was earlier held by Ahsan Iqbal, who has now been entrusted with the task of managing the affairs of Interior Division.

Retired Lt Gen Janjua has been reinstated as the National Security Adviser, a post he held before the Sharif cabinet was dissolved last month.

In addition, PML-N leaders Amir Muqam, Sardar Mehtab, Jam Mashooq Ali and Irfan Siddiqui have been appointed as advisers to the prime minister without being allocated any portfolio.

Abbasi was initially PML-N's candidate for interim prime minister and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif was to take over after a period of 45 days. However, the decision was reserved later on.

Abbasi will be occupying the office till the remaining tenure of PML-N, until mid 2018.