The Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises (CCoSOEs), chaired by Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, has approved the appointments of chairmen and independent directors of three state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO).

The approved appointments include Shahid Ashraf Tarar as Chairman/Independent Director of NESPAK. Five independent directors were approved for the HESCO board: Ali Raza Talpur, Dr. Fareeduddin Shaikh, Syed Shayaan Shah, Muhab Ali Khichi and Mohammad Liaquat.

Haris Hussain Jakhrani was approved as an independent director on the SEPCO board. According to an official announcement issued by the Finance Division on Tuesday, the CCoSOEs meeting was held at the Finance Division under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Hussain Magsi also attended the meeting, along with relevant federal secretaries and senior representatives of various ministries, divisions and regulatory bodies. The committee considered two agenda items concerning the appointment of chairman/independent director of NESPAK, reconstitution of the HESCO board of directors and appointment of an independent director to the SEPCO board.

Following deliberations, the proposals were approved. The finance minister emphasised that government representatives serving as ex-officio directors on these boards should be appropriately placed, competent and equipped with the requisite experience and institutional understanding to represent their respective divisions effectively.

The meeting reviewed overall governance structures and performance metrics of critical state-owned entities to ensure fiscal discipline and improved service delivery across the power and engineering sectors. Officials noted that these timely appointments are aimed at strengthening corporate governance, enhancing operational transparency and driving much-needed structural reforms within the public sector enterprises.

Further progress reports on the restructuring of other power distribution companies are expected to be reviewed in the upcoming sessions of the cabinet committee. The government remains committed to ensuring that all appointments are made strictly on merit to revitalize national institutions and reduce the financial burden on the national exchequer.