PM Abbasi appoints Dr Suleman Khan as new Intelligence Bureau chief

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appointed Dr. Suleman Khan as director general (DG) of the civilian spy agency, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on Monday. The position had been lying vacant for more than a month after retirement of Aftab Sultan.

Suleman before his promotion to the post, was heading the IB’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter as the joint director on deputation. He has to his credit a number of counter-terrorism and counterintelligence operations in KP.

Earlier on Wednesday a top-level meeting chaired by PM Abbasi, decided to promote Dr. Suleman Khan along with some other officers from basic pay scale (BPS) of 21 to 22.

Academy Commandant of the IB Mehr Khaliqdad Lak was appointed as National Police Academy (NPA) commandant under the administrative control of the interior ministry.

The IB does not report to any ministry and functions under the PM. The notifications regarding Dr. Suleman’s appointment as IB chief and that of Lak at the NPA were issued on Monday evening. After assuming the charge, the new DG would appoint the commandant IB Academy. 

Following the retirement of Sultan on April 2, the PM reviewed a number of names but did not make a final choice. According to reports PM was considering three names, IB Academy Commandant Mehr Khaliq Dad Lak, IB Joint Director Fawad Asadullah and Dr. Suleman.