Agha Jan Akhtar


Agha Jan Akhtar is a retired officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service who served in BPS-21 grade as the Chairman of the Port Qasim Authority under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that, he served as a provincial secretary in the Government of Sindh including as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.
He has a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineer from the University of Southern California and holds a Masters in Business Administration in Management from Pepperdine University, California.
Mr Agha Jan is an Alumnus of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, the Asia Pacific Centre of Security Studies, Hawaii and the Near East South Asia Centre for Strategic studies, USA. Agha Jan Akhtar has also undergone the Director’s Training Program from ICMA, Karachi in 2017. His specialization is in the fields of Management, Strategic Studies and Business Administration.
Agha Jan Akhtar belongs to the 15th Common and is batchmates with Shoaib Mir Memon, Hussain Asghar, Rizwan Ahmed, Fawad Hasan Fawad and Jawad Rafique Malik. Agha Jan Akhtar is married to Ms. Rabiya Javeri Agha., also a PAS officer currently posted as Federal Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights,  Islamabad. They are the parents of four sons.
Agha Jan Akhtar retired as Chairman, Port Qasim Authority under Ministry of Ports & Shipping in December-2017. During his four & half years tenure as Chairman PQA, he undertook strong initiatives to develop Port Qasim into Pakistan's premier port with integrated industrial and commercial facilities.

Career

During his career, Agha Jan initiated and completed a 1320 Megawatt coal based power plant at Port Qasim. Through effective coordination under the leadership of Mr Agha Jan, Port Qasim Authority started numerous diversified projects established through private sector investment. The first LNG Terminal on Fast Track basis by Engro Elengy Terminal Pakistan Limited was completed in a record time of 11 months. With his efforts PQA made all requisite arrangements to make the terminal operational and has successfully handled more than 200 vessels, till date, including Qflex size.
Besides, the PIBT- Coal & Clinker / Cement Terminal with handling capacity of 8 million tonnes was also made operational under Mr Agha Jan’s tenure. Additionally, Coal Terminal at Marginal Wharf 3 & 4 for Sahiwal Power Plant and 2nd  LNG Terminal by PGPL on BOT Basis were completed. PQEP-1320 MW Coal Fired Power Plant with Self-Use Jetty also started operations by December-2017 at a cost of US$ 2.1 Billion.
During the Chairmanship of Mr Agha, the industrial estate in Port Qasim Authority expanded greatly. Port Qasim’s financial regime also improved significantly. PQA net profits which stood at Rs. 875 million in 2013-14 increased to Rs. 4.42 billion in 2016-17 depicting a growth of more than 69% per annum. Simultaneously, PQA deposits rose from Rs. 13 billion in 2013 to over Rs. 70 billion to date. Today, Port Qasim is a customer services oriented and financially healthy organization operating under landlord concept. It is proud to be part of an exclusive international LNG landscape working to alleviate energy shortages in the country.
In his earlier assignments, Agha Jan worked as Director,  Excise & Taxation Department, Government of Sindh, where he was instrumental in introducing an in-house computerised motor registration system as early as in 1994. The system introduced by Mr Agha is currently still in use and was subsequently adopted by other provinces two decades later.
In his assignments Agha Jan has worked as Secretary Agriculture, Government of Sindh, where he oversaw the agricultural recovery program after the devastating floods of 2010. He has served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sindh and has also worked in various assignments in the Home Department. In his field assignments he has served as Deputy Commissioner in several districts of Sindh and Balochistan. As Secretary Agriculture, Mr Agha Jan oversaw a comprehensive agricultural recovery program after the devastating floods of 2010 and 2012.
Agha Jan has also served as Commissioner Afghan Refugees in the Ministry of State and Frontier Regions, responsible for the census and repatriation of Afghan refugees.
During his time as Chairman of the Port Qasim Authority, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the PQA and leading private sector companies of Pakistan jointly launched Pakistan's first business and biodiversity platform at a ceremony held at PQA headquarters. The platform was a unique initiative focusing on nature conservation through the collective support of the private sector. The launch ceremony was organised and presided over by its Agha Jan Akhtar.
Agha Jan also served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sindh, Home Department, and in field assignments as Deputy Commissioner in several districts of Sindh and Balochistan. He has also served as an Independent Member on the Board of Pakistan Petroleum Limited.