Dr. Safdar Sohail is a recently retired career civil servant from the Commerce and Trade Service of the Government of Pakistan. He holds an M.Phil. in Sociology and Social Demography, a PhD in Sociology of Politics, and a PGD in Public Policy, all from France. Dr. Sohail retired in May 2020 as Special Secretary Cabinet, Government of Pakistan.

With a civil service career spanning 35 years, he has served in diverse roles, blending traditional responsibilities with policy research, civil servant training, governance reforms, and trade diplomacy. His notable positions include:

• Director General (DG), National Institute of Management, Islamabad
• DG, CPEC Center of Excellence at the Planning Commission
• Pakistan’s Economic Minister to the European Union
• Member Governance, Planning Commission

Dr. Sohail has been a strong proponent of reform and development throughout his career. He has co-founded the Social Protection Resource Centre (SPRC) and Sustainable Capacity Analytics (SCA) in Islamabad to advance social change in Pakistan. He is currently the Convenor of the Pakistan Alliance for Social Protection (PASP), hosted at SPRC.

PASP is an alliance of 20 leading organizations and professionals, working collectively to promote the adoption of minimum social protection for all in Pakistan.

Dr. Sohail is a prolific writer with numerous local and international publications to his credit. He has also actively participated in international and regional conferences, workshops, and seminars.