Dr Niaz Ahmad named new Higher Education Commission chairman
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appoints Dr Niaz Ahmad as HEC chairman for two-year tenure.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Dr Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), as the new Chairman of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The Federal Ministry of Education has issued the official notification confirming the appointment, which will run for a tenure of two years under the amended act.
Earlier, a nine-member search committee, led by Federal Minister for Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of MQM-Pakistan, conducted interviews and forwarded a summary of shortlisted candidates to the Prime Minister. The summary included Dr Niaz Ahmad, former NED University Vice Chancellor Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodi, and Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah.
The summary reportedly remained at the Prime Minister’s House for nearly two months. Approval for Dr Niaz Ahmad’s appointment was granted three days prior to the formal notification, which was issued on Friday. The HEC chairmanship had been vacant since 29 July 2025, making this appointment the first in about seven months.
Born in 1962 in Dera Ghazi Khan, Dr Niaz Ahmad has previously served as vice chancellor of both Quaid-e-Azam University and the University of the Punjab. His extensive academic and administrative experience positions him to lead Pakistan’s higher education body at a critical juncture.
