Tag: Ishaq Dar

‘IMF wanted Pakistan to default last year,’ claims Ishaq Dar

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wanted Pakistan to default during the tenure of last year’s sixteen-month government led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

In a Defence Day ceremony, Dar said, “The IMF was not reviewing Pakistan’s loan request, despite fulfilling the technical review demands.”

He mentioned that the IMF had delayed the loan for eight months when Pakistan was in economic turmoil despite having three billion commitments from friendly countries.

“Pakistan could lead the fifty-seven Islamic countries by achieving economic power, and whenever the country was quite close to achieving that goal, the government’s legs were pulled from underneath it,” Dar claims.

He urged politicians to be rational about Pakistan’s economic potential, pointing out the country’s nuclear power status.

The Deputy Prime Minister stood by his unusual statement at Geo News last year, asserting, “Pakistan can avoid default without the IMF.”

September 7, 2024
The Crown is coming to Pakistan, Dar confirms

The deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said on Wednesday that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman is likely to visit Pakistan soon. Dar confirmed that the date of the Saudi Prince’s visit will be finalised this month.

“InshaAllah, the visit is due [and] I believe we may receive final dates [of the visit from Saudi Arabia] anytime in May,” Dar said while addressing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The Saudi crown prince, also known as MBS, will visit Pakistan for the first time in five years. His last visit to the country was in February 2019, when Imran Khan was prime minister.

The deputy prime minister mentioned that during a recent meeting in Makkah, Pakistan’s delegation met with the Saudi crown prince. He assured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that he will visit Pakistan soon.

May 8, 2024
Rana Sanaullah likely to become interior adviser

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made another important decision after making Ishaq Dar the deputy prime minister of the country.

Sources have told Samaa that PML-N leader and former federal minister Rana Sanaullah is likely to be given an important role. The government may appoint him as interior advisor, the sources claimed.

The senior leadership of PML-N wants to see Rana Sanaullah in the interior ministry, and this responsibility will be given to Rana Sanaullah after the approval of former prime minister and PML-N head Nawaz Sharif.

The inclusion of Rana Sanaullah in the federal cabinet may also lead to a shuffle in the ministries.

Earlier, two days ago, the prime minister of the country, Shehbaz Sharif, appointed Ishaq Dar as the deputy prime minister of Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar currently has two designations, as he is also the foreign minister of the country.

April 30, 2024
Ishaq Dar: Wazir-e-Kharja Se Deputy Wazir-e-Azam Tak Ka Safar

According to a surprising notification issued by the Cabinet Division on April 28, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of the country, a position not recognised in the Constitution.

Dar was appointed as the country’s foreign minister after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) formed a coalition government after the general elections this year.

Historically, there is only one person who held the same position as Dar does now – Pervaiz Elahi in 2012 after Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) allied with the then-ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Interestingly, X (formerly Twitter) users pointed out that the constitution of Pakistan makes no mention or reference to “deputy prime minister” at all.

Predictably, people on social media had some things to say about Dar’s new appointment.

April 29, 2024
Pakistan, London aur ab China: Nawaz to get medical checkup on personal visit

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will leave for a “personal visit” to China today, as per Geo News.

PML-N’s internal sources confirmed that the party head is going to China for a medical checkup.

Party sources also confirmed to Geo that the former prime minister will also hold meetings on development projects in Punjab, adding that the former premier will meet owners of Chinese companies there.

Nawaz will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

This will be the first international visit of Nawaz Sharif since his return to Pakistan in October last year after spending almost four years in self-imposed exile in London.

April 22, 2024
PM includes Dar in CCI instead of Aurangzeb

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reconstituted the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Friday, notably replacing Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The PM is heading the CCI which constitutes the chief ministers of all four provinces. Interestingly, this is the first time in the history of the council that a Foreign Minister of Pakistan has been included in the CCI.

Business Recorder article reported that it would be normal if a Finance Minister isn’t included in the CCI because historically it has happened. However, energy and planning ministers were mostly included because they deal with provincial matters.

The presence of the Finance Minister and the Law Minister in the CCI is very important as these two portfolios are required to respond to numerous queries raised by the provinces during the meeting.

A similar pattern could be observed as PM Shehbaz gave Ishaq Dar the control of Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) as well instead of including Aurangzeb earlier this month.

March 29, 2024
Pakistan to review trade ties with India, says FM Dar

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has stated that Pakistan will think about re-establishing trade relations with India, suspended since August 2019, when the Narendra Modi-led government ended the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Pakistani businessmen want trade with India to resume,” the foreign minister said while addressing the media at the Pakistan High Commission in London at the end of his visit to the UK and Europe on Saturday.

In August 2019, the Modi-led government unilaterally changed the special status of the occupied valley, causing Pakistan to downgrade its ties with India.

In February 2021, despite the strained relationship between the two neighbours, Pakistan and India both agreed to renew the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan has connected its choice to improve relations with India to the reinstatement of the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming of prime minister of Pakistan.

“Congratulations to [Shehbaz Sharif] on being sworn in as the prime minister of Pakistan,” Modi wrote in a brief message on X, formerly Twitter.

March 25, 2024
Who does Shehbaz Sharif want to be in cabinet?

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has recommended 19 names to President Asif Ali Zardari to be inducted into the federal cabinet, according to a summary forwarded to the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.

As per Geo news, the federal cabinet is expected to take oath today at 3 pm at the President House.

The list of recommendations for federal ministries includes several prominent names from the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), such as Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, and others. Additionally, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui from MQM-P and Abdul Aleem Khan from Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party are also among those recommended.

Furthermore, Senators Ishaq Dar and Musadik Malik have been recommended for appointment as federal ministers under clause 9 of Article 91 of the Constitution, as their Senate term is set to end on March 12.

The clause permits the prime minister to appoint individuals outside of parliament to the federal cabinet for a period of six months.

Three additional names recommended for induction as federal ministers under clause 9 of Article 91 are Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ahad Khan Cheema, and Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

Shaza Fatima is the sole woman recommended for inclusion in the federal cabinet. She is slated to take oath as a state minister under clause 1 of Article 92 of the Constitution, according to the summary.

Sources indicate that while the Prime Minister initially plans to keep the cabinet small, more ministers will likely be inducted in the second phase.

The swearing-in of the federal cabinet follows Prime Minister Shehbaz’s oath-taking as the 24th premier of the country a week ago, and President Zardari’s inauguration as the head of state a day earlier, attended by all dignitaries.

March 11, 2024
Pakistan’s next Finance Minister: Who is Muhammad Aurangzeb?

In a significant development, sources have revealed that Muhammad Aurangzeb, a distinguished banker, is poised to become the country’s next finance minister under the newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This comes as part of the impending formation of the federal cabinet.

The sources further disclosed that Ishaq Dar, a former finance minister and close aide to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, is no longer in contention for the position due to health issues.

Instead, there is speculation that Dar might be offered another crucial role, considering his formidable track record during the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement.

During his tenure, Dar faced significant challenges in rejuvenating the stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. However, the sources did not specify the potential alternative role for Dar.

According to information from Geo News, Muhammad Aurangzeb brings an impressive resume to the table. He has previously held the position of president at HBL and served as the CEO of JP Morgan’s Global Corporate Bank in Asia.

With a robust international banking experience spanning over 30 years, Aurangzeb has held various senior management roles.

In an interesting turn of events, it was revealed that the government’s initial preference for the finance minister role was Sultan Allana, the Chairman of HBL.

Allana is recognised for his extensive experience in finance and the economy. Notably, he played a pivotal role in conceptualising the Roshan Digital Account and spearheaded the project management efforts that contributed to Pakistan’s removal from the FATF Grey List.

However, sources clarified that Allana had international work commitments related to the Aga Khan, preventing him from committing to the finance minister role.

This opens the door for Muhammad Aurangzeb, whose impressive banking background positions him as a strong candidate for the crucial position of finance minister under the new government.

March 5, 2024
PPP agrees on Dar as finance minister

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has agreed to the appointment of Ishaq Dar as the finance minister, as per The News on Monday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP are ready to form a coalition government in the centre after the February 8 polls nationwide.

The development comes in the backdrop of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s tirade during election campaign in the run-up to the February 8 polls, wherein he had time and again criticised Dar for mismanaging the economy during the PML-N-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.

In January, Bilawal Bhutto told Geo News that his party will see “anyone but Dar” as the country’s finance minister because of the poor economic situation in Pakistan.

The PML-N leader refrained from responding to his comment and said, “He [Bilawal] is like my child. I don’t want to comment on what he said.”

“This is the same Bilawal who on the floor [of the parliament] a few months back used to say that for him I’m Dar uncle,” he added.

March 4, 2024