The federal government has appointed State Minister Zartaj Gul’s sister, Shabnam Gul, as a director of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). According to a private TV channel, Shabnam was serving as an assistant professor at Lahore College for Women in Grade-18. She has now been appointed as director of the key counter-terrorism body. In a tweet, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that Shabnam Gul had a PHD degree in terrorism and FATA affairs. NACTA clarified that it received a total of 12 requests from employees of various federal and provincial government departments working in BS 17 to 19 for posting in NACTA on deputation basis. A three-member committee interviewed the applicants on May 14 for vacant posts of assistant directors, deputy directors and directors, and cases of six out of 12 candidates were recommended to be sent to Establishment Division, according to a statement issued by the NACTA. “Shabnam Gul was one of the selected candidates. The committee recommended her purely on merit for posting against one of the vacant posts of directors as she is already working in BS-19,” it clarified.