The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued an order for the removal of Ahad Cheema, a former civil servant who served in grade BPS-20 for over 15 years and also acted as an adviser to the then-PM Shehbaz Sharif on the establishment.
This decision follows a hearing on petitions against federal ministers and advisers regarding their political affiliations.
Notices were previously issued to Federal Minister for Privatization Fawad Hassan Fawad, Adviser Ahad Cheema, and Principal Secretary to the PM Tauqeer Shah. The ECP’s verdict directs the secretary of the cabinet division to delist Ahad Cheema as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM).
The electoral body, in its ruling, highlighted that Cheema had been part of the former cabinet, and his continued presence in the current caretaker cabinet could potentially ‘affect’ the election results.
It’s noteworthy that Ahad Cheema, the former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) chief, had recently been acquitted by an accountability court in a reference related to assets beyond known sources of income.
