Slug: punjab-dg-food-waseem-replaces-amjad-hafeez

Category: National News

Focus keyphrase: DG Food Punjab

SEO title: Capt (retd) Waseem Replaces Hafeez as DG Food Punjab

Meta description: The Punjab government has named Capt (retd) Muhammad Waseem as the new DG Food Punjab, replacing Amjad Hafeez with immediate effect.

Tags: Punjab government, DG Food, Muhammad Waseem, Amjad Hafeez, flour prices, food department

Original element: our own data point — FP’s October flour-price coverage (Rs14/kg jump, Sindh and KP wheat-release stories) gives the supply context the new DG inherits, with internal links.

Capt (retd) Waseem Replaces Amjad Hafeez as Punjab DG Food

LAHORE: The Punjab government has appointed Captain (retd) Muhammad Waseem as the new Director General of Food and Cane Commissioner, replacing Amjad Hafeez with immediate effect.

Waseem, a BS-19 officer, moves from his post as Director General of Wildlife and Parks, Punjab. A notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department on Tuesday formalised the transfer, ProPakistani reported.

Amjad Hafeez, also a BS-19 officer, has been directed to report to the department for further orders. The notification was issued by order of the Governor of Punjab and signed by Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman.

The notification in detail

The Services and General Administration Department issued the notification on October 21, 2026. It states that Captain (retd) Muhammad Waseem will take charge of the food department and the cane commissioner’s office immediately.

The order carries the signature of Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and was issued under the authority of the Governor of Punjab. Transfers of this kind are routine in the provincial bureaucracy, but the timing places the new DG Food at the centre of one of the province’s most sensitive portfolios.

Both officers hold the BS-19 grade. Hafeez will now await a fresh posting after reporting back to the department.

Why the DG Food post matters

The DG Food oversees wheat procurement, storage and release across Punjab, along with the regulation of flour supply and prices. Through the cane commissioner’s role, the office also handles matters relating to the sugarcane sector.

The appointment comes as Punjab manages wheat release and flour supply through the autumn, a subject Feature Pakistan has tracked through October. Flour prices jumped by Rs14 per kilogram earlier this month as millers raised rates again. Sindh approved a subsidised wheat release to steady flour prices, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa raised its daily wheat release quota to 4,000 tonnes.

Food prices remain a pressure point for households across the country, and analysts have warned of a broader food-security challenge. The new DG Food will be responsible for keeping the province’s supply chain steady as winter demand builds and the next procurement cycle approaches.

The cane commissioner side of the office matters too. Punjab is the country’s largest sugarcane-growing province, and the office handles cane pricing and supply issues that affect both growers and mills. The new DG will therefore sit across two of the province’s most politically sensitive commodities: wheat and sugarcane.

Part of Punjab’s administrative reshuffle

The transfer is part of the provincial government’s routine administrative changes. The Services and General Administration Department handles postings of senior officers across Punjab’s departments, and officers regularly rotate between departments at the BS-19 level.

Punjab’s government has been reshaping several departments in recent months, including approving Rs45 billion in health projects under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The food department now gets a new chief with an administrative background from the wildlife and parks department, and the coming weeks will show how quickly he settles into the portfolio.

What happens next

Captain (retd) Waseem is expected to take charge of the office in the coming days. His immediate tasks will include overseeing the wheat release mechanism, monitoring flour prices in the province’s markets and coordinating with district administrations on supply. Market watchers will look for early signals in how the department handles the coming procurement and release cycle.

The outgoing DG, Amjad Hafeez, will await further posting orders from the Services and General Administration Department.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the new DG Food Punjab?

Captain (retd) Muhammad Waseem, a BS-19 officer transferred from the post of Director General of Wildlife and Parks, Punjab.

Who did he replace?

Amjad Hafeez, a BS-19 officer who served as DG Food and Cane Commissioner and has been directed to report to the department for further orders.

When was the notification issued?

October 21, 2026, by the Services and General Administration Department. It was signed by Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and issued by order of the Governor of Punjab.

What does the DG Food do?

The office oversees wheat procurement, storage and release in Punjab, regulates flour supply and prices, and handles sugarcane-sector matters as cane commissioner.