Mr Farhan Aziz Khawaja (PAS)
Pakistan Administrative Service
Director General, Civil Services Academy
Mr. Farhan Aziz Khawaja, is a seasoned civil servant with diverse public sector experience. He joined civil services as an officer of the District Management Group, now the Pakistan Administrative Service, in 20th Common Training Programme and has worked both in Federal and the Provincial Governments. During his career spanning over thirty-two years, he held important positions like CEO SMEDA, Registrar Islamabad High Court, Additional Secretary Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan, Director General, National Institute of Management, and Deputy Commissioner of various districts in the Punjab. In Government of the Punjab, he served as Secretary (Services), Secretary to Governor Punjab, Secretary Labour & Human Resource Department, Secretary Higher Education Department, Secretary I&C Government of the Punjab, Managing Director, Punjab Small Industries Corporation, Special Secretary (Agriculture Marketing), Agriculture Department and other various key posts in Punjab.
Mr. Farhan Aziz Khawaja did his MA in History from Punjab University Lahore and also obtained LLB degree from the University Law College, Punjab University. He also has a Diploma in Taxation Laws from Punjab University and a Diploma in WTO from Government College University, Lahore
He holds a vision for a vibrant, effective and compassionate civil service that is committed to creating public value for the benefit and welfare of the community. He joined as the Director General, Civil Services Academy on 1st September, 2023. He also served as Rector National School of Public Policy, (NSPP) February, 2026 – September, 2026.
Dr. Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi
Director (Common Training Programme) / (Capacity Building)
Dr. Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi is a BS-20 officer of the Secretariat Group with over two decades of experience in public administration, civil service training, policy, and academic engagement. He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, an International Master’s in Public Administration from Sun Yat-sen University, China, an MS in Public Policy from UMT, and an LLB from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He has also undertaken various national and international professional programmes in leadership, project management, public procurement, and Artificial Intelligence.
Dr. Zaidi is an accomplished researcher and educationist, with publications in HEC-recognized journals and experience as visiting faculty and trainer at leading academic and public-sector institutions. He is also a graduate of the 31st Senior Management Course from NIPA, Lahore.
At the Civil Services Academy, Dr. Zaidi has been associated with the planning and implementation of Common Training Programmes from the 46th to the 52nd CTP and has served as Director (CTP) for the past two years. As Director (Capacity Building), he has led diverse executive and professional development initiatives, including leadership training for Vice Chancellors of 23 universities of Punjab, capacity-building programmes for HEC officers, an Executive Development Programme for senior civil servants of Bangladesh, and National Outreach Programmes for diverse and underrepresented communities.
Dr. Zaidi has also contributed to strengthening experiential and immersive learning at CSA and developing institutional partnerships with universities, government organizations, and civil society institutions. His professional interests include public-sector leadership, educational management, capacity building, and innovative approaches to civil service training.
Dr. Faisal Zahoor
Director (PAS)
Dr. Fasial Zahoor, joined service with 27th CTP as an officer in Inland Revenue Service. He later joined Pakistan Administrative Service (29th CTP) in 2001. Dr. Faisal is currently working as Director (Pakistan Administrative Service). With a diversifies experience of 24 years in service, Dr. Faisal has held a range of senior administrative positions across government of Punjab and Giligit-Baltistan. He has an extensive experience covering public administration, management of governmental organizations, and governance-related matters. He has worked in the social sector, particularly in health and education, at top management levels. Dr. Faisal is known for his expertise in general administration, project management, decision making, problem-solving, creative design, and policy management. Throughout his career, Dr. Faisal has served in several significant roles, including Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner/District Revenue Officer, Deputy Secretary, and Additional Secretary in Punjab. He also held prominent positions such as Director, National Highway Authority, Anti-Corruption Department and Director General, PHA Lahore and MDA Multan. Additionally, he has served as Secretary, Home, Prisons, Services and General Administration, Health, Education, Works and Water and Power, Gilgit-Baltistan. He has served as Special Secretary, School Education and Primary Health Department, Secretary, Agriculture, Government of Punjab.His educational qualifications include an MBBS from King Edward Medical College, an MSc in Health Economics from the London School of Economics, a Master’s in Social Policy from UK, and specialization in radiology and ultrasonography. Additionally, Dr. Faisal holds certifications in Governance and Leadership and HR Management.
Muhammad Bilal Akram
Director (Admin & Finance)
With an experience spanning over more than 26 years of service, Mr. Muhammad Bilal Akram is a BS- 20 officer presently serving as Director ADMN and Finance, CSA. He has also headed Mid- career Management Wing at PAS campus and under him 9 Domain Specific Mid/Career trainings for the officers of PAS were successfully conducted.
He has also served at various significant positions including, Control Local Audit (Defence Services of Pakistan), Director External Audit, Defence Services of Pakistan and Director Audit Federal Govt. Prior to joining Pakistan Audit and Account Service in 2005 he had also served for 6 years in Government of the Punjab for 6 years as Ex-PCS officer on various executive & Judicial positions including Extra Assistant Commissioner and Special Judicial Magistrate.
He has been declared Master Trainer by department of the Auditor General of Pakistan for Performance Audit, Software of ACL and Financial crime management. He has contributed in development of various manuals and has imparted international training at General Audit Bureau, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China, Cambodia and Central Asia.
He did his Diploma in Financial Crime Management from CIPFA, UK, certification in Audit command Language (ACL) from UAE facility of ACL Canada. He also did International certification in Performance Auditing.
He did his masters in Political Science with specialization in International Relations and then MBA (Finance) from University of the Punjab.
Dr. Tasneem Zafar
Chief Instructor
Dr. Tasneem Zafar joined the Civil Services Academy of Pakistan as Chief Instructor (Economics & Public Finance) back in 2016 and since then a has remained actively engaged in teaching, research and number of other training activities. She holds a PhD degree in Economics & Public Finance from Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany and has remained a DAAD & HEC scholar during this period (2006-2011). Her post-doctoral research stay was at ZEF Institute of Development and Cultural Change, Bonn University, Germany. Inter alia, in July 2019 she has attended a short course, ‘Training of Trainers: Ambassadors of Research Evidence’ at Harvard Kennedy school, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Among important academic positions held, she has served as Chairperson Department of Economics, Government College University, Lahore (2013-2016) before joining CSA that has happened to be her own alma mater. She has participated in number of national and International Conferences and workshops organized by various Universities and institutes of Europe.
She has published several research papers in national and international Impact factor journals. Additionally, she has provided her input in different national and international research projects of the World Bank, USAID and PERI, P&D Department, Government of the Punjab that later translated in to different published research reports.
She has designed and taught a number of academic courses in the domain of Economics that also include the few tailored courses for civil servants namely Public Sector Economics, Economic Development and Social Change, Approaches for Poverty reduction and Strategies and SDGS and socioeconomic issues in Pakistan.
She is still an active researcher and takes special interest in areas of Economic Growth and Development, Institutional Economics, Income Distribution Analysis, Public Policy, Inequality and Poverty Measurement and Analysis of Pro-poor Growth among others.
Muhammad Asim
Chief Instructor (PSM)
Mohammad Asim is Chief Instructor (BPS-20) at Pakistan’s Civil Services Academy, dedicated to building future-ready Administrative leadership. With an MBA from Arkansas State University (USA) and over three decades of diversified experience, he has trained more than 13,000 public officials and corporate executives across North America, Europe, and Asia in soft skills, management, and strategic policy. An internationally certified martial artist and Amazon-published author (08 Hidden Commandments, The AI CODEX), he bridges leadership theory with dynamic practical discipline. In recognition of his civil service contributions, he was awarded the 2022 Director General CSA Shield presented by the President of Pakistan.
