Shaukat Tarin appointed as adviser to PM on finance and revenue

The government issued a notification on Monday appointing Shaukat Tarin, formerly the finance minister, as adviser to the prime minister on finance and revenue.

The notification, issued by the Cabinet Division stated: "The president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to appoint, with immediate effect, Shaukat Fayyaz Ahmed Tarin as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, with the status of federal minister."

Tarin was appointed as the finance minister on April 17 and his constitutional tenure ended on Oct 16. He needed to be elected to parliament in order to continue in his post for longer than six months after his appointment.

The government had earlier decided to get Tarin elected as a senator from Punjab or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure continuity and stability in markets.

Highly placed sources had told Dawn the government would announce its plan for election of Tarin from Punjab against Senator Ishaq Dar's seat, which has virtually remained vacant in the absence of the PML-N's former finance minister. Dar has not taken oath because of his self-exile in the UK.

The sources had said the first priority was to get him elected on Dar's seat, but a plan-B was also in place to get a Senate seat vacated from KP for his election because of some uncertainties. The senator vacating the seat from KP would be compensated through some other political adjustment.

They said that Tarin's election on Dar's seat could have uncertainties as it could be challenged in courts and stayed.

The sources, however, explained that even if the election process took some time, it would not matter as Tarin would be made an adviser for five days and then sworn in as senator and finance minister as well.

Tarin, who also held the finance ministry in the PPP government, was the fourth finance minister appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan after Asad Umar, Hafeez Shaikh and Hammad Azhar had been given the portfolio.

At the time, the prime minister had said Tarin's appointment was aimed at controlling inflation and increasing the economic growth rate.

via The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/3vnFeij