BJP leader Syed Zafar Islam on Air India's board

New Delhi: BJP leader Syed Zafar Islam has been appointed as an independent director of Air India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved his appointment as non- official independent director for three years, said an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Islam, a former investment banker, joined the BJP on April 5, 2014. He is at present national spokesperson of the party. Besides him, former chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) R K Tyagi has also been appointed as non-official independent director on the board of the national carrier.

It is not for the first time that a BJP leader has been appointed on the board of a Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). In past, some of the party's leaders including Shazia Ilmi have also been given such postings.

Ilmi, former leader of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was in January appointed as independent director in Engineers India Ltd (EIL).

At present, she is the vice-president of the BJP Delhi unit. The saffron party's member from Gujarat, Asifa Khan, had also been made non-official independent director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL).

Existing norms by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandate companies to have at least 50 per cent of directors as non-executive or independent directors with at least one woman director.