ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Vice Chancellor of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Dr Niaz Ahmad as Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.
The Federal Ministry of Education has also issued the official notification of Dr Niaz Ahmad’s appointment.
Under the amended act, he has been appointed for a tenure of two years.
Earlier, a nine-member search committee headed by Federal Minister for Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, also a leader of MQM-Pakistan, had forwarded a summary to the prime minister after completing the interview process.
The summary included the names of three shortlisted candidates including former NED University vice chancellor Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodi, Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, and Quaid-e-Azam University Vice Chancellor Dr Niaz Ahmad.
The summary reportedly remained at the Prime Minister’s House for nearly two months.
Approval for Dr Niaz Ahmad’s appointment was granted three days ago, and the formal notification was issued on Friday.
The post of HEC chairman had been lying vacant since July 29, 2025, and the appointment has been made after a gap of about seven months.
Dr Niaz Ahmad was born in 1962 in Dera Ghazi Khan. He has previously served as vice chancellor of both Quaid-e-Azam University and the University of the Punjab.