ISLAMABAD: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has approved the name of Lt-Gen (retd) Shahid Hameed as next chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) replacing Lt Gen (retd) Jamshed Gulzar.

Gen Gulzar is completing his three-year tenure today. He was appointed for a five-year tenure on March 31, 2003, but amid serious FPSC-government controversy his tenure was reduced to three years in last August through a presidential ordinance.

The Establishment Division is likely to notify the appointment of Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Hameed on Thursday. The new chairman is being appointed for a fixed tenure of three years. Like the outgoing chairman, the incoming top boss of the prestigious FPSC enjoys very good reputation. Hameed was retired from the military almost a year back and the last position he held was that of the Command National Defence College.

He has also been corps commander Quetta besides serving as commandant Pakistan Military Academy Kakool. Known for his decency and modesty, Hameed is generally referred in the military circles as a man of character. Hameed is taking over his new assignment at a crucial juncture where the FPSC top bosses had gone to the court of law against the president and the prime minister for victimizing them for their refusal to compromise on merit and rule of law.

Sources, however, expected that in view of his background the new chairman will continue with the revamped promotion system introduced by the outgoing chairman for senior bureaucracy.

Sources say that the appointment of new chairman would follow the induction of additional members in the FPSC, which currently has only five members against the sanctioned strength of eleven.

The post of chairman FPSC has been traditionally offered to retired military and civilian officers or ex-judges of the Supreme Court. Generally the appointment of retired generals as chairman was not appreciated by the bureaucracy for being outsider but the conduct of the outgoing chairman and his amazing success to streamline the promotion system for civil services has completely changed this perception.

A senior civil servant when contacted expected that the new chairman would show the same interest in the appointments and promotions as has been taken by Gulzar. He said the bureaucracy still wanted to see a civilian officer as chairman FPSC but in the present set-up it does not seem possible.