Ahmad Noorani from Washington DC
Since the appointment of Army Chief General Asim Munir, the grip of General Headquarters (GHQ) on civilian institutions has tightened to an unprecedented level, with his relatives and close associates blatantly interfering in major government appointments and holding top positions despite little to no performance, exemplifying the military’s unchecked hegemony and misgovernance in Pakistan.
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Syed Babar Ali Shah, the army chief’s maternal uncle, has been an unannounced king of Islamabad since early 2023 and was instrumental in many key appointments, awards, and promotions including the appointment of the former DG FIA Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir.
Another influential relative is the army chief’s first cousin, Hajra Sohail, who was an ordinary employee working as a scholarship manager in a federal government organization at the time of General Asim Munir’s appointment in November 2022. She was first appointed to a very senior position without any formal process and then, within months, promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the same organization.
Mohsin Naqvi, a close family member of General Asim Munir’s wife, Iram Asim, is another prime example of how power and influence have been exploited for personal gain under Munir’s tenure as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Despite lacking relevant expertise, he was handed two of the most coveted and powerful positions in the country—Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Interior Minister. His appointment underscores an unprecedented level of nepotism, unchecked greed, and the brazen misuse of authority that has become the hallmark of this regime.
Syeda Hajra Sohail
Hajra Sohail, daughter of Syed Babar Ali Shah and the first cousin of the army chief General Asim Munir was a scholarship manager in a federal government organization Pakistan Education Endowment fund (PEEF) previously known as National Endowment Scholarship for Talent (NEST) in November 2022 when General Asim Munir was appointed Pakistan Army Chief. This organization operated under the control of the ministry of federal education and professional training.
In early 2023, the federal education ministry initiated a process to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for PEEF by advertising the position publicly. However, shortly after the official process began, the Prime Minister’s office intervened, instructing the ministry to halt the procedure. They informed the ministry that a name would be provided for the appointment.
The then federal minister, Rana Tanveer Hussain, resisted this interference, insisting that the ministry continue with the process. Nonetheless, the Prime Minister’s office made it clear that the nomination of Syeda Hajra Sohail, who was already a manager at PEEF, was coming directly from the army headquarters in Rawalpindi. Despite Rana Tanveer’s insistence on following due process, repeated interventions from the Prime Minister’s office ultimately forced the ministry to abandon the process.
After the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government completed its term in August 2023, Madad Ali Sindhi was appointed as the caretaker federal minister of the ministry. During the caretaker government, Hajra Sohail was suddenly appointed to one of the top positions, General Manager (GM), without following the established procedures. It was clear that she could not be directly appointed to the position of CEO from her role as a scholarship manager. Therefore, she was temporarily given a top position just below the CEO, while the office of the CEO was kept vacant, and the organization, for all practical purposes, came under her full control.
Madad Ali Sindhi, the caretaker federal education minister, when asked by Fact Focus about the irregularities in an important appointment during his tenure, stated that he had been kept in the dark. ‘Hajra was very rude and incompetent, and I ordered her removal from PEEF, where there was no equitable representation of federating units,’ Sindhi said. He added that Hajra was very strong, with the entire bureaucracy backing her, leaving him feeling helpless.
Dr Amjad Saqib episode
Following the February 2024 elections, a new hybrid government took power in March 2024 under a power-sharing agreement with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Renowned philanthropist Dr. Amjad Saqib had been leading the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) from September 2023 until May 2024, when PPP’s Rubina Khalid was appointed as chairperson under the power-sharing deal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who highly valued Dr. Amjad’s contributions to the development and microfinance sectors, appointed him to the board of the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) to steer the organization in a meaningful direction. One key reason for this appointment was Dr. Amjad’s extensive experience in leading provincial PEEF in Punjab for a significant period as the chairman of the board.
However, during Dr. Saqib’s initial visit to the PEEF office in Sector H-9/4 of Islamabad, an alleged heated exchange took place between him and Hajra Sohail over some issue. Dr. Amjad Saqib may have forgotten about the incident immediately, but Hajra promptly complained to her cousin.
Following this incident, according to the PEEF officials, GHQ Rawalpindi directed the unseen security forces on the ground in Islamabad to prevent Dr. Amjad Saqib from entering the PEEF office again.
Hajra in Prime Minister Office
Following the incident, GHQ also informed the Prime Minister’s Office. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned Hajra Sohail to his office in an attempt to placate her over the issue with Dr. Amjad Saqib. However, the country’s Prime Minister was ultimately unable to persuade a mere scholarship manager.
Ultimately, under Dr. Khalid Maqbool’s leadership, the federal education ministry quietly de-notified Dr. Amjad Saqib from the board of PEEF.
Dr. Amjad Saqib is a Pakistani social entrepreneur, philanthropist, and development expert, best known as the founder of Akhuwat, the world’s largest interest-free microfinance organization. Through Akhuwat, he has provided financial assistance to millions of underprivileged people in Pakistan, focusing on poverty alleviation, education, and social welfare. A former civil servant, Dr. Saqib has held various key positions in government and the development sector. His contributions have earned him numerous national and international accolades, including the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2021. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
Appointment as the CEO PEEF
Following the Dr. Amjad Saqib episode, the federal education ministry finally appointed Hajra Sohail as the CEO of PEEF without following any due process. Just months after her cousin’s appointment as army chief, Hajra ascended to the top position of a federal government organization where she had previously been an ordinary manager.
Prime Minister Office Official
When an official from the Prime Minister’s Office was asked about the blatant nepotism and violation of laws, rules, and procedures in appointing a junior officer as the head of a federal government organization, the official defended the move by claiming that Hajra Sohail was merely serving as the acting CEO. He further claimed that a permanent CEO would be appointed through a proper selection process and public advertisement.
PEEF website
Contrary to the claim made by the Prime Minister’s Office, PEEF officials confirm that Hajra Sohail is the CEO of the organization. Additionally, the PEEF website lists her as the permanent CEO in multiple places.
Hajra Interview
Fact Focus conducted an interview with Hajra Sohail to question her about her unprecedented and seemingly inexplicable promotions, culminating in her appointment as CEO of an organization where she was merely a scholarship manager a few months earlier. Hajra’s tone was threatening, and rather than addressing the questions, she demanded to know who had instructed Fact Focus to investigate her appointment. She insisted that the federal education ministry should be asked how she was appointed to the position.
When informed that the minister in charge at the time of her appointment, Madad Ali Sindhi, had told Fact Focus that she was rude and incompetent and that he had ordered her removal, Hajra dismissed his remarks, stating that he was no longer a minister and that Fact Focus should contact current officials instead. Efforts to reach the current federal education minister, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, for a response were unsuccessful, as he did not return calls.
Hajra also denied that her rapid promotions and appointments had anything to do with being a cousin of Army Chief General Asim Munir.
Syed Babar Ali Shah
Syed Babar Ali Shah, who had been based in London before General Asim Munir’s appointment as Army Chief, relocated to Islamabad and quickly emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the final months of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which completed its term in August 2023. Leveraging his influence, Babar interfered in the functioning of government ministries and departments, securing key appointments for his close associates. His main contact in the Prime Minister’s Office was then-advisor to the Prime Minister, and now federal minister for Economic Affairs, Ahad Khan Cheema. For a long time, both bureaucrats and politicians sought his assistance to secure important postings and promotions. His influence persisted even under the caretaker government led by Anwarul Haq Kakar, which began in August 2023.
In November 2023, following the death of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan, Babar Ali Shah played a crucial role in securing the appointment of his relative and close associate, Justice (R) Arshad Hussain Shah, as the new caretaker CM of the province. When Fact Focus asked Arshad Hussain Shah about Babar Ali Shah’s involvement in his appointment, he did not deny it but instead maintained that both the leader of the house (former KPK CM Mehmood Khan, who had by then joined the PTI parliamentarians) and the leader of the opposition (Akram Khan Durrani of JUI-F) were involved in the decision. ‘You are asking me the wrong question,’ Arshad Hussain Shah told Fact Focus.
Syed Arshad Hussain Shah Caretaker Chief Minister of KPK
In January 2024, just one week before the general elections, during the tenure of the caretaker government, Babar Ali Shah played a pivotal role in the appointment of Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir as DG FIA. Jahangir was approved to receive Pakistan’s second highest civilian award in August 2024. Official news agency APP reported this in the following words, “In recognition of his exceptional leadership and dedication to combating serious crimes, Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir has been approved to receive Pakistan’s second highest civilian award “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” by the President.”
Jahangir’s tenure was soon overshadowed by shocking reports of corruption and mismanagement within the FIA. (Fact Focus will start reporting about these stories in the last week of March 2025)
Within a year of his appointment, complaints about misconduct within the FIA grew so widespread, and it became so evident that the media would soon report on the major scandals, that the government decided to remove Jahangir from his position. As a result, Babar Ali Shah’s role and influence were significantly curtailed. Although the media was instructed to link the removal of the DG FIA to incidents involving boats carrying immigrants capsizing and his failure to prevent human smuggling, the reality was that there was a long history of wrongdoing.
Fact Focus attempted to contact Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir 53 times over the past six months, using both his personal and official phone numbers. However, he never responded and consistently avoided answering the questions sent to him.
In May 2024, after Shehbaz Sharif’s new government took office, Babar facilitated several appointments, including that of PSP officer Shahzad Naddem Bokhari as Zonal Director of FIA Islamabad. This is a key position in the FIA. Shahzad, who is a relative of Babar and the brother of former KPK caretaker CM Arshad Hussain Shah, frequently had Babar visiting his office in Melody Market, Islamabad, where Babar would stay for long periods. Despite repeated attempts, Shahzad avoided calls and questions from Fact Focus.
Babar Ali Shah was also contacted on seven different mobile numbers he uses, but he neither answered any calls nor responded to the questions sent to him.
In 1976, at the age of 20, Babar married Nuzhat Babar, who was 22 at the time, and they had five children: Syeda Hajra (1977), Syed Hassan Babar (1980), Syeda Fatima (1981), Syeda Rabia (1982), and Syeda Ruqiyya (1987). In 2001, at the age of 45, Babar married 17-year-old Zahra Babar, who was seven years younger than his eldest daughter and four years older than his youngest daughter, who was 13. Babar and Zahra lived in the United Kingdom and have four children: Syed Azmat Hussain Babar (2002), Syed Abbas Hussain Babar (2006), Syed Ali Hussain Babar (2007), and Aleena Zahra (2008).
Mohsin Naqvi
Mohsin Naqvi, a close relative of Iram Asim, the wife of Army Chief General Asim Munir, was appointed as the Chief Executive of Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, just 55 days after General Munir assumed the role of Army Chief. His appointment came after the dissolution of the provincial assembly by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, with his name being put forward by Hamza Shahbaz, the leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly.
The PCB chairmanship is one of the most coveted and lucrative positions in the country, with all political parties and the military striving to place their most trusted individuals in this role. Ramiz Raja, a former test cricketer and commentator, was the chairman when the coalition government took power in April 2022. However, Ramiz was forced to resign on April 21, 2022. In June 2022, the PML-N replaced him with Najam Sethi, a senior journalist and political analyst who had previously served as PCB chairman and is credited with establishing the Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, after some time, the coalition partner, PPP, appointed Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman in June 2023, just weeks before the government’s term was set to end in August 2023.
Unfortunately for Zaka Ashraf, the country’s Army Chief had his eyes set on the coveted position of PCB chairman. Zaka was forced to resign by the establishment on January 19, 2024. Only three days later, on January 22, 2024, the Pakistan Army-appointed caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar appointed Naqvi to the PCB’s governing board, positioning him as the leading candidate for the PCB chairmanship.
This all occurred just days before the upcoming general elections, with the public’s focus on electoral developments. Two weeks before the elections, the General Asim Munir-led dispensation took numerous illegal and illegitimate actions, none of which were reversed. These actions included shutting down the Fact Focus website, factfocus.com, in Pakistan on January 31, 2024.
On February 6, 2024, just 48 hours before the general elections, Naqvi was ‘elected’ as the PCB chairman through an army-controlled ‘election.’ At the time of his appointment, he was also the Chief Minister of Punjab.
After the controversial February 8, 2024 general elections, Naqvi was inducted into the federal cabinet as an advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior. With no federal interior minister in place, Naqvi effectively became the most powerful member of the federal cabinet, assuming the role of the de facto Interior Minister. A few weeks later, despite not being affiliated with any political party, Naqvi was ‘elected’ as a senator and took the oath as the federal interior minister.
Naqvi’s simultaneous hold on the positions of Chairman PCB and Federal Interior Minister demonstrates an unprecedented level of greed, lust for power, and power consolidation. In the context of Pakistan’s political culture, appointing a close associate of the ‘king’ to any one of these roles is understandable. However, the concentration of so much power in one individual is both unprecedented and astonishing, even by the standards of a developing country like Pakistan.
As for Naqvi’s performance in these roles as PCB chief and as the interior minister of the country, there is little that needs to be said. The people of Pakistan are the best judges of his actions and their consequences.
Unauthorized issuance of Diplomatic/Official Passports to General Asim Munir’s family members
Pakistan, as a country, is supposed to be governed by laws and regulations, but has it become a kingdom ruled by the law of the jungle? This can be clearly observed by the fact that immediately after General Asim Munir’s appointment as Chief of Army Staff, his family members—some of whom were not even eligible for diplomatic passports—were granted these prestigious travel documents. For instance, the married daughters of General Asim Munir, who were not part of his immediate family, were also issued diplomatic passports. These included Sundas Uzair, who is married to Uzair Ali Shan, and Khadija Asim, who is married to Syed Osama Bin Afzal. The Directorate General of Immigration & Passports confirmed to Fact Focus that these passports were indeed issued, and senior officials from the FIA confirmed that this was done in violation of established rules.
An official stated that the passports issued were official passports and could be granted under the rules since the recipients were spouses of officials. However, this claim is incorrect, as only one son-in-law of Army Chief General Asim Munir was serving at the time of his appointment, and under the rules, neither he nor his spouse was eligible for an official passport. Special duties are assigned in papers merely to create justification for issuing these passports.
Note: The story was updated on March 18, 2025, to add the last para.
- General Asim Munir
- Hajra Sohail
- Mosin Naqvi
- Pakistan Army
- Syed Babar Ali Shah
