ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday appointed Dr Mukhtar Ahmed as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman.

Dr Ahmed, a renowned educationist, had earlier held the post from 2014 to 2018.

According to a notification issued by Secretary to Prime Minister Dr Syed Tauqir Shah, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Dr Mukhtar Ahmed as the HEC chairman. He was appointed out of a panel of three shortlisted candidates.

The notification said the terms and conditions of the appointment shall be settled separately.

An HEC official said though the tenure of the new chairman was not mentioned on the notification, it was expected that he had been appointed for a two-year term.

Earlier, the tenure of the HEC chairman was four years, but the PTl government reduced the term to two years through an ordinance.

The post fell vacant on May 29 when the tenure of former HEC chairman Dr Tariq Banuri ended. To fill the seat, the federal government had formed a search committee headed by Education Minster Rana Tanveer Hussain, who conducted interviews of around 70 shortlisted candidates out of a total of around 150.

The search committee then sent a panel of three candidates to the prime minister, who picked Dr Mukhtar Ahmed.