ISLAMABAD: The government has appointed former chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue Dr Jehanzeb Khan as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (DCPC), giving the lucrative post back to the federal bureaucracy after 23 years.

“Dr Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, a BS-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, presently awaiting posting in Establishment Division, is posted/appointed as Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, with immediate effect and until further orders,” said an official notification.

Dr Khan was removed from the position of FBR chairman in May after it became clear to Prime Minister Imran Khan that the revenue collection was heading towards a record shortfall that nevertheless amounted to more than Rs500 billion at the end of the fiscal year 2018-19.

Until now Minister for Planning and Development Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar was also holding the post of DCPC just like his predecessor Ahsan Iqbal in the PML-N government.

Ex-chairman of FBR appointed deputy chairman of Planning Commission

Informed sources said the government had originally decided to appoint Abdul Wajid Rana, former finance secretary and member of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). But it came to surface that because of his stint as FPSC member, Mr Rana could not be appointed against any public office.

The Planning Commission is a financial and public policy development institution that comes under the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms. The commission undertakes research studies and state policy development initiatives for the growth of national economy and the expansion of the public and state infrastructure of the country in tandem with the Ministry of Finance.

Since 1952, the Planning Commission have had a major influence and role in formulating the highly centralised five-year plans for the national economy during most of the 20th century.

Although five-year plans were replaced by medium-term development framework, the commission still plays an influential and central role in the development programme. The Public Sector Development Programme also comes under the domain of the Planning Commission, which is led by the prime minister as chairman.

Dr Khan brings with him a decade-long experience as development professional and practitioner, including that of Punjab’s planning and development department chairman. He had been involved in a number of development initiatives in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and known for spearheading sustainable development, with a focus on energy, environment, water, health and education.

He was part of a team that remained involved in implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. More recently, he headed the FBR where he designed its transformation programme, which was approved by the World Bank in a record period of six months. For digitalising the FBR, $400 million was approved for Pakistan. In addition, he was also part of the team that negotiated the IMF bailout package.

Dr Khan has a rich background in public finance, development financing and public-private partnerships. He remained Pakistan’s commercial counsellor in France for five years and was even appointed as ambassador to the country on the desire of then French president.

Since its inception in the early 1950s, the post of deputy chairman of the Planning Commission was mostly held by civil servants having economic background with some exceptions until the retirement of Qazi Aleemullah in 1996. The post was then shifted to technocrats and politicians.

In spite of the grave economic and financial problems that beset the government soon after independence, then prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan established an independent institution — Development Board — at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1948 for rapid economic and financial development of the country. It was later converted into the Planning Commission in 1953.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2019