The Government of Pakistan has officially extended the contract of Mr. Zarrar Hasham Khan as the Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The Prime Minister approved this critical decision today, September 4, 2026. Consequently, the Cabinet Secretariat’s Establishment Division issued a formal notification from Islamabad under the reference number F.No. 17/01/2024-E-1.
According to the official document, Mr. Khan’s appointment will extend for a further period of one year. Furthermore, this extension takes effect immediately starting from today (w.e.f. 04.09.2026). The government clearly stated that he will continue his duties on the same terms and conditions. Additionally, the document notes that the government will publish this notification in the upcoming issue of the Weekly Gazette of Pakistan Part-I. Deputy Secretary to the Government of Pakistan, Zafra Khalid, signed the official notification. Moreover, Section Officer (E-I), Irfan Ahmed Memon, also signed the document,
Background of Mr. Zarrar Hasham Khan in Tech & Telecom
Mr. Zarrar Hasham Khan currently serves as the Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. Previously, he held the prominent position of Group Chief Business Solutions Officer at Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). PTCL operates as the national telecommunications carrier. It also stands as the largest integrated Information & Communication Technology (ICT) company in Pakistan.
Overall, Mr. Khan brings over 20 years of vast local and international experience to his current role. He holds a deep professional background in the investment banking domain. Additionally, he has worked closely with leading telecom service providers. These include the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Mobilink GSM – PMCL, which currently operates as Jazz Pakistan. He remains a seasoned professional with extensive planning and execution experience. His core expertise strictly covers Strategy Development, Technology Operations, Governance, Risk & Control, Customer Experience Management, and Product Development.
Before taking charge in Pakistan, Mr. Zarrar worked for 11 years at STC-Kuwait, a Saudi Telecom Group Company. He served as their Chief Technology Officer during this extended period. In this executive role, he actively defined the company’s strategy. He also oversaw the complete execution of their fixed, mobile, and ICT infrastructure. Most notably, he successfully spearheaded one of the largest commercial deployments of 5G services in the world back in 2019.
