Ishaq Dar to become finance minister: PML-N spokesperson

Published May 13, 2013
In this photograph taken on June 23, 2008, Pakistani former prime minister Nawaz Sharif (R) talks with party leader Ishaq Dar (L)in Lahore.  — Photo by AFP
In this photograph taken on June 23, 2008, Pakistani former prime minister Nawaz Sharif (R) talks with party leader Ishaq Dar (L)in Lahore. — Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan election-winner Nawaz Sharif has picked a veteran finance minister to serve in his cabinet as Karachi stocks hit an all-time high Monday over hopes his pro-business agenda can revive the economy.

Sharif, who has sought to present himself as a pragmatist who can do business with the United States and improve relations with nuclear rival India, won a resounding victory in Saturday’s landmark polls.

Sharif will likely need only the estimated 27 independents and his proportion of seats reserved for women and minorities, to secure a majority in the first democratic transition in a country accustomed to long periods of military rule.

US President Barack Obama said Washington was ready to work with Islamabad “as equal partners” and welcomed the transition.

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he hoped to chart “a new course” in relations.

Sharif’s biggest challenges are likely to be fixing the shattered economy, an appalling energy crisis and tackling Islamist militancy.

PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq told AFP the party had secured a “comfortable majority” at the national level and a “two-thirds majority” in Punjab province, where Sharif’s younger brother Shahbaz would return as chief minister.

Ishaq Dar, who served as finance minister in Sharif’s second administration and again briefly in 2008, would return to the job, the spokesman said.

Dar had “all the facts and figures at his fingertips” and will in June present the budget for the next financial year starting on July 1, Farooq said.

“We have credibility on the economic front, the unprecedented surge in the stock market today is proof,” the PML-N spokesman said.

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

FORMER first lady Bushra Bibi’s video address to PTI followers has triggered a firestorm. Her assertion implying...
Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...