Salman Farooqi, a former top bureaucrat and a close associate of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leadership, will assume the charge of Chairman Planning Commission on Friday. He will replace Dr Muhammad Akram Sheikh who has stepped down after serving four years at the position. An engineer by profession, Sheikh was appointed against the key post back in 2004.

The Establishment Division on Thursday issued the notification of both the new appointment and Akram's removal. Salman is a close personal friend of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

He was the secretary commerce ministry during the PPP second stint in power between 1993 and 1996. The Chairman Planning Commission is a key post and person holding it is given the status of a state or deputy minister. All development schemes under the official annual programmes are decided by the commission.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2008