Altaf Hamid Rao.
Raja Razzaque retires from AJK Civil Service as Secretary Population Welfare Dept,
MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : Distinguished seasoned bureaucrat of Azad Govt. of the State of Jammu & Kashmir Raja Muhammad Razzaque has retired from service as Secretary Population Welfare Department on attaining superannuation age.
Talking to this Correspondent here on Tuesday on the eve of his retirement, Razzaque told that during his over 25-year term in service, he served on various positions in different departments holding diverse senior level assignments including In Charge Secretary to President AJK State, Secretary PRCS AJK State Branch, I/c Secretary Law Department, Special Secretary Services & General Administration Department, Director General Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
Apart from various steps for institution buildings, revitalizing the slow downed EPA and enabling the Agency to deliver for safeguarding the nature and nature-based resources is on his credit. Besides holding a first ever judicial conference for protection of serene environment of AJK, he managed to convene first meeting of Environmental Protection Council and articulately sensitized the apex body regarding significance and challenges faced to our serene environment and convincingly solicited the patronage for environmental governance in the State of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
Similarly, he, as Secretary Population Welfare Department, worked tirelessly for mainstreaming the cause of sustainable population growth in Pakistan and region evolving a right-based approach for family planning and reproductive health services in AJK in line with national narrative. He also re-energized the department and team to ensure sustainable service delivery.
He strongly pursued the Council of Common Interests (CCI) recommendations for population management in AJK/Pakistan. He has been successful in convening the first meeting of AJK Population Task Force in which all stakeholders participated.
This was for the first time that sufficient resources from federal and international development partners were pooled for population management in AJK.
To a question, he specifically gave credit to Population Planning Wing, Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, Govt. of Pakistan for robust coordination and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), all international development partners, private sector and civil society organisation for their tangible support for the cause.
Raja Razzaque is also known as expert in public sector human resource management and a strong advocate and contender for rule of law, transparency, merit based approach and fair play in official dispensations. Over 25 years diverse working experience in Public Sector in strong collaboration with Private Sector, UN Organisations, International Development Partners, starting as an officer level (BPS-17) to Senior Positions i.e. Head of Organisations, Secretary to the Government, has transformed him as a best professional and a resource person.
He spoke high of Prime Minister Farooq Haider Khan’s vision and leadership and support of Dr. Mustafa Bashir Abbasi minister for population, IT & TEVTA for revitalizing the institutional strength and framework of the State Population Welfare Department.
Razzaque said while responding to a question that besides personal determination to improve the criticality’s to their right perspective, it’s symmetry of thoughts between public functionaries and political bosses and obtaining political ownership, were the major contributing factors for improving governance and resolving challenging issues with a successful outcome.
