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 said 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.
but his major problem will be to check rampant corruption particularly in Police/Tax Dept/ and local tehsils, not withstanding load shedding, inflation and huge financial debt and
heavy expenditure of the army
How can he especially when his past is badly tainted!
What a joke!
From being a person who found a conduit in the name of Qazis of Illford UK.
It was expected knowing that he is a member of the Sharif's family and therefore, competency does not matter.
And help his bosses transfer money from Pakistan to UK on accounts of Qazis of Illford
Whole-heartedly and warm welcome of Mr.Ishaq Dar as chosen Finance Minister of Pakistan.He has vast experience and is a sincere member of Sharif.May Allah gice him power to overcome the problems of Pakistan.Att this time most of the aged and elders having Saving Accounts with Pakistan Post are requesting him to waive the GST on their savings as these savings are their only source of feeding themsleves and they have no other alternative means of income.Mian Nawaz Sharif is particularly requested to review this gunda tax on poor`s incomes.
Looking at the election results, it seems Pakistan as a federation has taken a step back. Though complete wiping out of PPP from Punjab is very surprising, yet PTI getting largest share of seats from KPK is not unusual. In all three elections in PKP, electorate voted in different political party on each occasion. Going forward, PML-N has to stop relying upon political sloganeering and has to present workable and realistic plans to address energy crisis, terrorism, ethnicity, economy, civil-military relationships and foreign policy issues vis-a-vis the US, Afghanistan and India particularly.
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