Four in a run for permanent PPL head
Aftab Ahmed
As the company is facing chaos for a long due to the absence of a regular head, four potential candidates are in a race of heading state-run oil and gas explorer Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL).
Since 2018, there has been no permanent head of PPL. The previous government of PML-N had appointed Syed Wamiq Bokhari as managing director of PPL. Bokhari replaced acting CEO Arshad Mirza, secretary of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources who was appointed temporarily.
After the expiry of Bokhari’s contract in 2018, the board of directors at Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has given charge of acting managing director of the state-run company to a board member Saeed Ullah shah. After the removal of Shah, a deputy managing director of the company Moin Raza was given acting charge of managing director.
Up till July 2014, PPL always had a CEO who rose from within the company and Bokhari was the first head of the company who came from outside of the company.
Sources told Newztodays.com that four potential candidates include Zahid Mir, Arshad Mirza, Masood Siddiqui, and Irfan.
Zahid Mir is a potential candidate in the race of becoming the permanent head of the company. He had served in a foreign company and was a chief executive officer (CEO) of the country’s largest oil and gas explorer Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL).
He had also been acting head of OGDCL for several years. At present, he is heading Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL). He is a strong candidate to become head of PPL.
Masood Siddiqui is also a former head of OGDCL. He was appointed during the tenure of PPP. He belongs to a family of Karachi-based real estate tycoons.
Arshad Mirza is a retired bureaucrat and had served as petroleum secretary. He was also facing a NAB case now.
Another candidate is Mr. Irfan Siddiqui who has been serving in Halliburton. The board of directors of PPL had sent these names to the petroleum division for the appointment. The Petroleum Division will send these names to Intelligence Bureau (IB) for clearance before moving a summary to the cabinet for formal approval.
