Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar appointed as deputy PM with ‘immediate effect’
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According to the notification, Dar, 73, was appointed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his new role “with immediate effect and until further orders”.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed as the country’s deputy prime minister on Sunday (Apr 28) with “immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the Cabinet Division.
‘Immediate effect’
According to the notification, Dar, 73, was appointed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his new role “with immediate effect and until further orders”.
The Pakistan foreign minister is a chartered accountant and a veteran politician who is a part of Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
The announcement also comes as Sharif is in the midst of a visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum.
Notably, Dar has served as a finance minister in two previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition governments and was said to be the party’s answer to all of their economic problems.
The 73-year-old was also reportedly being considered for the next chairman of Pakistan’s Senate (upper house of the Parliament), last month.
However, he lost after a deal between PML-N and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). This comes as Sharif’s PML-N had to win PPP’s support to form the coalition government.
The PML-N and the PPP agreed to form the government despite independents backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party winning majority seats of the 266-member National Assembly.
In the current government, Dar is not only the foreign minister but also a part of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
What is the CCI?
Last month, PM Sharif approved the reconstitution of the CCI and replaced the finance minister with the foreign minister.
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The eight-member council formed by Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari is chaired by Shehbaz Sharif and also includes all four chief ministers alongside other council members.
The CCI is considered as a top constitutional body and holds significant authority as the primary decision-making body in the nation.
Notably, Dar being a part of the council marked the first time that a foreign minister had become part of the CCI.
Typically, finance ministers are an important part of the council due to their involvement in financial matters of the country.
(With inputs from agencies)