ISLAMABAD: Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Shakeel Mangnejo, is on the hit list of Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan for allegedly violating SOEs Act as ex-officio Member of Board of Directors (BoD) of Pakistan Reinsurance Company Limited (PRCL). Shakeel Mangnejo, was posted as Special Secretary at the PMO with the blessings of Advisor to PM, Dr. Tauqeer Shah after removal of Secretary to Prime Minister, Asad Rehman Gilani.
The Commerce Minister, in a letter to Secretary Commerce, Advisor to PM, Tauqeer Shah, Chairman PRCL Board and other senior officials of Commerce Ministry has stated he is constrained to draw attention to repeated violations of the SOE Act and PMO directives in respect of Pakistan Reinsurance company Limited (PRCL). Despite his earlier verbal and written instructions, the matter has not been addressed in the required manner.
According to Jam Kamal, the PMO had categorically directed that under the SOEs Act, the performance of SOEs, their boards, and members shall be supervised and evaluated by the respective ministers. It was also explicitly stated that Ex-officio members representing Ministries must seek guidance and policy directions from their respective Minister prior to participating in Board meetings.
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He further stated that “in compliance with these instructions, our ex-officio member in NICL has consistently followed the prescribed procedure by consulting the Ministry and obtaining necessary guidance prior to Board deliberations. However, in the case of PRCL, the Ministry’s representation was being undertaken by Shakeel Mangnejo (then Special Secretary, commerce). Not only did he fail to follow this mandatory process at that time, but after his transfer to the Prime Minister’s Office, he has continued to attend more than 15 Board and Sub-Committee meetings of PRCL without consulting this Ministry, in direct contravention of PMO guidelines and the spirit of the SOE Act.
“As Minister for Commerce, I had categorically instructed that PRCL’s ex-officio position should be assigned to the senior-most serving officer of the Ministry of Commerce. This ensures accountability, proper consultation, and effective policy guidance. Despite repeated reminders, the required notification in this regard remains pending,” he added.
Jam Kamal argued that Mangnejo’s participation in PRCL meetings without prior consultation or approval is a clear disregard of statutory requirements and Prime Minister’s directives. Any decisions, proposals, or views, presented by him in these meetings must therefore be considered as made in his personal capacity, and not as the policy position of the Ministry of Commerce. Jam Kamal also directed PRCL Board not to entertain or act upon any such decisions or recommendations presented by Mangnejo. All matters deliberated or decided upon by him must be referred back to the Ministry of commerce for review and approval.
He further directed that the ex-officio position in PRCL Board be immediately reassigned to the senior-most officer of the Ministry of Commerce of the appropriate scale, and all previous meetings attended by Shakeel Mangnejo be treated as null and void.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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