ISLAMABAD: The Ministry for Information formally inducted its first-ever female Principal Information Officer (PIO) on Tuesday.

Mrs Rizwan Khan took the place of outgoing PIO Chaudhry Rashid Ahmed. Newly appointed Information Secretary Akram Shaheedi also took office on the same day. Both were directed by Information Minister Sherry Rehman to run office affairs based on merit, and, according to sources, to do away with the “red tape culture” associated with the ministry. She has also ordered a special audit of ministry accounts to deal with matters leftover from the previous regime. Rehman has transferred and posted several senior officials in the other attached departments of the ministry, including the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) and the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC).

Prior to their appointments, Rizwan was serving as deputy director general of the Press Information Department (PID) in Karachi and Shaheedi, a grade-21 officer, was working as press minister at Pakistan’s embassy in Washington. The outgoing PIO Rashid Ahmed has been made Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/30/2008