After the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Lieutenant-General Mohammad Alam Khattak (retired) has been appointed as new defence secretary, sources in Establishment Division said on Monday. Khattak replaces former defence secretary Lieutenant General Asif Yasin Malik (retired), who stepped down from his position last week after expiry of his contract.
Khattak had served the military as corps commander Quetta, Inspector General Frontier Corps (FC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and chief of logistics at the GHQ. Last year, he retired from army service. The defence secretary's position is civilian but traditionally retired military officers are appointed with the consent of Army GHQ.