Sami Saeed assumes charge as caretaker Planning Minister

F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Sami Saeed, a retired seasoned bureaucrat, has assumed charge as the caretaker Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, marking a significant development in the country’s economic landscape.
He has an extensive experience in Planning, Development & Economic affairs. On arrival at the ministry, he was welcomed by the Secretary of Planning Syed Zafar Ali Shah and senior officials. Later, the minister chaired a meeting in which he was given a detailed briefing by the secretary about the functioning and responsibilities of the ministry and ongoing development and strategic initiatives of the ministry particularly the PSDP, Annual Development Plan, CPEC and SIFC.
While chairing the meeting, Sami Saeed said that all officers of the ministry should work for the development of the country with full dedication and hard work. The minister said that the implementation of public welfare projects should be ensured while special attention should be paid to the quality of the projects.
Highlighting the importance of education, he said that more attention should be given to increasing the quality of education in the country. As per the profile, Muhammad Sami Saeed joined the Civil Service of Pakistan (District Management Group/Pakistan Administrative Service) in 1980 and held important positions in government and international organizations.
He remained Executive Director on the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Cabinet Secretary to the Government of Pakistan and Principal Staff Officer to the Prime Minister. He served in Punjab as Chairman Planning and Development Board, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Additional Chief Secretary and Secretary of Agriculture and Excise and Taxation Departments.
He held key positions in the Ministry of Finance, including Secretary of the National Finance Commission, Additional Secretary (Internal Finance and Banking), Joint Secretary (Provincial Finance and Development), Deputy Secretary (External Finance and International Financial Relations) and Additional Finance Secretary (Budget) in Punjab. He also performed duties as Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad and Assistant Commissioner Khanewal.
Sami Saeed worked as Director on the Board of Directors of major banks and financial institutions, including United Bank, Allied Bank, Bank of Punjab and Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan. Similarly, he represented the country in various bilateral negotiations and international conferences including the World Economic Forum 2007 in Davos, Switzerland as well as bilateral and multilateral negotiations As Executive Director on the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank, he paid official visits to many member countries around the world and interacted with quarters concerned at the highest level.