Programme & Capacity Building Wing
Dr. Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi is a seasoned BS-20 officer of the Secretariat Group with a distinguished career spanning field and secretariat roles across key Federal Government ministries. With a deep commitment to public service and policy innovation, he brings over two decades of expertise in administrative leadership, civil service training, and academic engagement.
Dr. Zaidi holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore. His diverse academic portfolio includes an International Master’s in Public Administration from Sun Yat-sen University, China; an MS in Public Policy from UMT; an LLB from Punjab University, Lahore; and a Diploma in Project Management from the Pakistan Institute of Management. His training includes a rich blend of national and international programs, further sharpening his strategic and pedagogical skills.
An accomplished researcher and educationist, Dr. Zaidi has published multiple research papers in HEC-recognized Y-category journals and has supervised a wide range of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. As visiting faculty at several Pakistani universities and a core trainer at institutions like the Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED), Allama Iqbal Open University, and the University of Management and Technology, he has shaped the thinking of countless officers and students alike.
At the Civil Services Academy (CSA), Lahore, Dr. Zaidi currently serves as Director (CTP) and Director (Capacity Building), where he leads training programs for new and mid-career civil servants. His work includes supervising several Common Training Programs (46th to 52nd CTPs), conducting domain-specific Mid-Career Management Courses (MCMCs), and delivering specialized sessions for institutions like the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Under the strategic guidance of the Director General, CSA, Dr. Zaidi has led the integration of immersive pedagogy into public service training, transforming learning experiences across the board. He is currently driving impactful National Outreach Programmes that focus on underrepresented communities—including minorities, students from Balochistan, and beneficiaries of the Workers Welfare Fund—ensuring equitable access to high-quality training and development opportunities.
Dr. Zaidi is a graduate of the 31st Senior Management Course (SMC) from the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore, and continues to be a driving force in shaping the future of Pakistan’s civil service through capacity building, knowledge sharing, and transformative training. He is also instrumental in establishing partnerships through MoUs with top-tier academic institutions, NGOs, and government bodies, expanding the collaborative footprint of CSA nationwide.
She held several positions in District Administration, Health, Education, Tourism, Social Security Institutions, and Anti-Corruption Punjab. She has a diversified academic background, including a double master’s degree in political science and English literature, as well as a diploma in environmental and labour law. She firmly believe that in the current world the future is TECH-Centric. Innovation coupled with excellence breeds change. Digitization and IT based systems have turned out to be a real game changer for world. During the previous service in Public Administration, she has experienced that from implementing ease of doing business (Online Payment of Contribution) to accident monitoring system to creation of a live portal have re-enforced this thought. As a Civil Servant she belief that better service delivery without IT innovation is not possible. In future she intends to pursue a career in research based environment with emphasis on policy formulation, planning and data analytics.
Mohammad Asim Khan is a, Teacher, Trainer, Academician, International author, Sports enthusiast, Martial Artist, and Traveler who has devoted more than half of his life in learning, training and inspiring people. Presently, he is a chief instructor (Public Sector Management), BPS 20, in Civil Services Academy Walton, Lahore, Pakistan, which is the Premier Institute to train the Civil Servants of the country. With over 25 years of professional experience by serving in different public and private service institutions both locally and internationally across Asia, Europe and North America, Asim has trained more than 15,000 employees in Soft Skills. He holds an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Arkansas State University, USA followed by a numbers of training courses from different international institutes. Strategic Management, Business Policy and Public Administration are his forte.
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.
Ms. Zofishan Manzoor (BS-19) is an officer of Military Lands & Cantonments Group (ML&CG), from the 38th CTP. She has served at key positions within her department. She has remained the Cantonment Executive Officer to various Cantonment Boards and as Military Estates Offices across Pakistan. She has also served as Principal / Additional Director at the Specialized Training Institute (STI) of the ML&CG called as CIMLA, the Cantonments Institute of Municipal & Lands Administration for two years.
Ms. Zofishan holds a degree with a gold medal in MA (English Language & Literature) from Peshawar University and another Masters in Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (T.E.F.L). She is also a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship Programme awarded in 2010. She hails from Abbotabad.
An officer of the Civil Services Academy, Ali Afzal has been serving at the CSA since September, 2009. He holds Master degree in Computer Science (MCS). He is looking after Information Technology infrastructure at CSA and mainly responsible for ensuring availability of audio visual facilities at the Academy.
Ms. Khadija Awan is a civil servant from the 47th Common Training Program, bel onging to the Office Management Group. She has held key assignments in the Ministry of Science & Technology, where she was responsible for the supervision of administrative matters of the attached department and autonomous bodies under the administrative control of the ministry. She has also served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary, MoS&T. She has also worked in the Establishment Division, Government of Pakistan, in the litigation Wing.
She holds an M.Phil degree in Microbiology from the University of the Punjab (PU), Lahore. Currently she is serving as Deputy Director (Programme & Coordination) at CSA Walton Campus.
Aitesam ul Haq Mughal is a civil servant from the 46th Common Training Program, belonging to the Office Management Group.
The officer has held key assignments in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, where he was responsible for the administration of foreign-funded loan and grant projects, including those financed by the World Bank, the Government of China, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
He has also served in the Finance Division, Government of Pakistan.Currently, he is serving as Deputy Director (Capacity Building) at CSA Walton Campus.He holds a degree in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, and completed his Master’s in Public Policy under the prestigious Young Leaders Program (2023–24) at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan.
Mr. Hasnain Saleem serves as the Deputy Director Capacity Building (CB) Wing at the Civil Services Academy (CSA) in Walton, Lahore. He holds an MPhil degree in English Literature from the University of the Punjab, completed in 2020, following his undergraduate studies at the prestigious Government College University (GCU), Lahore. Prior to joining the academy, Mr. Saleem accumulated four years of rich academic experience teaching at Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized universities including University of the Punjab and Islamia University Bahawalpur, blending a strong background in higher education with institutional capacity development.
Beyond his academic and administrative contributions, Mr. Saleem has a distinguished record of active engagement in extra and co-curricular activities. His diverse achievements include receiving a Certificate of Merit in sports from Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), alongside being awarded the highly coveted Co-Curricular Roll of Honour from Government College University, Lahore. At the Civil Services Academy, he continues to leverage his unique blend of literary expertise, pedagogical experience, and leadership skills to foster a holistic training environment for civil servants.
An officer belonging to Office Management Group (45th Common). She held various positions in the Civil Service of Pakistan i.e. as a Section Officer in the Ministry of Industries and Production and SAFRON, Manager Commercial (National Fertilizer Marketing Limited, NFML) and an Assistant Director – Admin (PAS, CSA). She was a part of team which successfully 43rd STP of PAS officers (2020-2021), 1st Specialized MCMC Programme in PAS Campus. Moreover, she worked as an Assistant Director (T&C) in the 49th and 50th CTP and as a Deputy Director (General) during the 51st CTP in the Civil Services Academy Lahore. Her areas of expertise are research writing, public speaking, HR management.
