The federal government concluded interviews of 27 candidates for three vacant positions of Commissioners at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).
A high-level committee headed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb conducted the interviews and will now shortlist nine names, selecting three for each position, for submission to the federal cabinet, which will make the final appointments.
The candidates who appeared before the panel included Shaista Gillani, Syed Irfan Ali, Jahan Ara Sajjad, Imtiaz Haider, Imran Iqbal, Sahulat Khan, M. Naveed Chaudhry, Khalid Habib, Majid Naeem Sofi, M. Ali Fareed Khwajah, Jalal Khan, Amjad Ali Awan, Fareed Ahmad Tarar, Abid Hussain, Ammar Qurashi, Bilal Rasool, Akif Saeed, Sadia Khan, Tariq Sultan, Imran Inayat Butt, Javid Ghafoor, Abdur Rahman Warraich, Mujtaba Lodhi, Muhammad Naveed, Dr. Kabeer Ahmad Sidhu, Adil Khan, and Salman Amin.
The interviews were held amid sustained criticism of the SECP over governance lapses, expenditure approvals, pay structures, and regulatory performance.
With the regulator struggling to restore market confidence, the government faces mounting pressure to appoint commissioners capable of strengthening oversight, improving enforcement, and addressing long-standing credibility issues.
The selection committee is expected to finalize its list of nine nominees in the coming days. The federal cabinet will then appoint three commissioners who will shape the SECP’s direction and institutional priorities in the years ahead.
