Islamabad: Federal health ministry has officially requisitioned the services of Dr Muhammad Zaeem Zia, former District Health Officer (DHO) of Islamabad, who was recently repatriated to Gilgit-Baltistan, triggering speculation that he may soon be appointed to lead the Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI) or another major health programme in the capital.
Dr Zaeem Zia, currently serving as Regional Director and Medical Superintendent (BS-19) at the District Health Office Gilgit, has been called back to the federal ministry on deputation for a period of three years. An official memorandum issued on 11 November 2025 by Section Officer (Admin-I) Rizwan Nabi Baloch states that his services are required “against a vacant post of Director (BS-19/Medical) on standard terms and conditions.”
The move has stirred concern among senior officials and observers who point out that Dr Zia was only recently sent back to his parent department after the Establishment Division declined to extend his previous deputation as DHO Islamabad earlier this year. They note that his immediate return to a federal post, barely months after repatriation, appears to bypass the mandatory one-year cooling-off period between deputations.
Officials within the health ministry privately acknowledge that Dr Zia enjoys political connections in the federal capital and Gilgit-Baltistan, and that his reinstatement may reflect more than just administrative need.
“It’s unusual for an officer to be recalled this soon after repatriation, especially without a clear vacancy or selection process,” said a senior bureaucrat familiar with the matter. “There are strong indications he is being positioned for the Federal Directorate of Immunization or another flagship assignment.”
Dr Zia, a Fulbright alumnus with postgraduate training in public health from the United States, earlier headed Islamabad’s health department during the COVID-19 pandemic, mass vaccination drives, and dengue prevention campaigns. His tenure earned visibility for efficient campaign management, though not without internal criticism over resource concentration in the capital while provincial systems struggled.
When his deputation term expired in early 2025, the Establishment Division refused to extend it and directed his return to Gilgit-Baltistan under federal service rules. The latest order now reverses that decision, authorizing a fresh three-year deputation at NHSR&C.
Health governance experts say the move again highlights inconsistencies in how top public health appointments are made in Pakistan. “These decisions should follow transparent processes, not personal influence,” said one senior health administrator, warning that such exceptions weaken institutional credibility and morale among career officers waiting for elevation through merit.
If appointed to FDI, Dr Zia would oversee Pakistan’s national immunization framework at a time when the country faces widening gaps in childhood vaccine coverage and lingering donor scrutiny over data transparency. Sources within the ministry confirm that the FDI has been seeking a new director for months and that several senior officers had expressed interest in the position.
The requisition of Dr Zaeem Zia may thus reshape the leadership landscape of Pakistan’s immunization and disease-control efforts but also raises pressing questions about the balance between merit, political patronage and administrative discretion within the federal health system.
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