NEW DELHI: The surprise elevation of Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar - a close confidant of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif - as the deputy prime minister was in reality "pre-planned' and is reportedly a move to "compensate' the PML-N supremo for the loss of the finance portfolio, it emerged on Monday.
He once more headed the finance ministry from 2013 to 2017 and later from 2022 to 2023.
Even though the Constitution does not include a provision for a deputy prime minister, Dar is the second legislator to assume this role.Chaudhry Parvez Elahi served as Deputy Prime Minister when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was in power from June 25, 2012, to June 29, 2013.
The PPP Information Secretary, Faisal Karim Kundi, stated that his party had no objections to Dar's appointment as the deputy prime minister.
"It is the PM's prerogative to appoint Dar as deputy prime minister," he said, adding that the move was not meant as a "message' to anyone.Meanwhile, Khan's PTI on Monday reacted strongly to Dar's appointment as the deputy prime minister, saying "Sharifs are distributing key national posts within the family'.
NEW DELHI: The surprise elevation of Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar - a close confidant of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif - as the deputy prime minister was in reality "pre-planned' and is reportedly a move to "compensate' the PML-N supremo for the loss of the finance portfolio, it emerged on Monday. At the age of 73, Dar, a chartered accountant and experienced politician from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, was named deputy prime minister by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday, with the appointment taking immediate effect and until further notice.Shehbaz Sharif and Dar are currently in Saudi Arabia for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) special meeting.According to the Dawn newspaper, Dar's new appointment "took many by surprise, but drew hardly any criticism from its allies'.Dar being "awarded' the "rarely filled' slot of deputy prime minister has raised many questions, the report said.The main talking point is that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif wants to have his "confidant' in a key position in the federal cabinet to "compensate him for the loss of the finance portfolio', it said.The report mentioned that the action was also viewed in connection with Nawaz Sharif assuming leadership of the ruling PML-N party as its president, a position he had been deprived of after being convicted in the Panama Papers case.Dar is seen as having a close relationship with Nawaz Sharif because of the family connection through marriage, as his son is married to the elder Sharif's daughter.An insider claimed that the move to appoint Dar as deputy prime minister was "pre-planned', the report said. During the formation of the coalition government, it was agreed that Dar would serve as the Deputy Prime Minister.However, based on a report from Geo News, the decision to appoint a four-time finance minister as the foreign minister indicates an increased focus on economics in the country's diplomacy as the financially struggling nation aims to obtain another deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and strengthen external financing from foreign capitals.Dar was the finance minister from 1998 to 1999 and then again from March to May 2008. He once more headed the finance ministry from 2013 to 2017 and later from 2022 to 2023. He additionally worked as the minister for industry and investment from February 1997 to July 1997, and also in commerce from December 1997 to October 1999.According to the report from Dawn, during Nawaz Sharif's tenure as the prime minister, Dar served as the de facto deputy prime minister, leading numerous government and parliamentary committees in the capacity of chairperson. Even though the Constitution does not include a provision for a deputy prime minister, Dar is the second legislator to assume this role.Chaudhry Parvez Elahi served as Deputy Prime Minister when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was in power from June 25, 2012, to June 29, 2013. During that period, his responsibilities were largely symbolic, and he was given recognition by then-President Asif Ali Zardari for his support of the government led by the PPP.Elahi is currently serving as the president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, and he is in prison due to corruption allegations.Interestingly, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the main ally of the PML-N-led government, did not raise any objection to Dar's new appointment. The PPP Information Secretary, Faisal Karim Kundi, stated that his party had no objections to Dar's appointment as the deputy prime minister. "It is the PM's prerogative to appoint Dar as deputy prime minister," he said, adding that the move was not meant as a "message' to anyone.Meanwhile, Khan's PTI on Monday reacted strongly to Dar's appointment as the deputy prime minister, saying "Sharifs are distributing key national posts within the family'."The Sharif family is distributing important national posts among themselves," Special Assistant to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister For Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said.The PTI leader criticized the federal government for appointing individuals to high-ranking positions instead of addressing the problems faced by the people as the Constitution does not provide for the position of deputy PM.Reacting to Dar's appointment, Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob termed the PM Shehbaz Sharif-led government's move "an extra-constitutional step that carries no substantial value'."This just indicates intra-party tensions and competition for influence. It is not an admirable step because, at this serious juncture of our national life and the lowest point of our economic condition, we should be focusing on substantive issues rather than taking trivial and inconsequential decisions," The News reported quoting Mehboob.(With inputs from agencies)
