Nawaz wants Dar to continue as finance minister

ISLAMABAD: The government and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday refuted the rumours regarding resignation of incumbent Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, saying that the minister neither wishes to step down nor has he been asked to do so.

However, sources claimed that the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif did not want to request Dar to step down due to family ties. “As long as Dar wishes to hold office, Nawaz will not ask him to step down,” they said, while adding that Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi cannot take the risk of asking Dar to resign, as Dar’s son Ali Dar was married to Nawaz Sharif”s daughter.

“Though the prime minister wants Dar to leave office due to ongoing cases at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and failing health, the PM will wait for a green signal from the party head in this regard,” the sources claimed.

According to insiders, it was expected that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Dr Miftah Ismail would get important responsibilities at the Ministry of Finance after he left the post of Board of Investment chairman on Friday. However, the stance taken by the PML-N chief over the issue showed that Dr Miftah might only be supporting the PM in financial matters, without holding any portfolio and responsibilities in the finance division.

PM House spokesman Dr Musaddiq Malik said that Dar was still the finance minister and there were several other options available to him as well. He also said that in light of Ishaq Dar’s health and his absence from the country, the finance ministry portfolio had already come under the prime minister’s control per cabinet rules. The prime minister was taking regular briefings on matters of finance and was managing the portfolio efficiently, he added.

Earlier, different media channels had reported that Ishaq Dar had resigned from the ministry and a committee had been constituted to look after the economic affairs of the country. It was also reported that Dar, who is in London to undergo cardiac treatment, had sent his resignation to PM Abbasi, who would make a final decision after consulting PML-N president Nawaz Sharif.

Per media reports, PM Abbasi may retain the portfolio, and a committee comprising of Dr Miftah and former State Bank governor Dr Ishrat Husain, would manage the financial matters.

Reports further claimed that the ruling party was under pressure from the opposition parties to assign someone to the vacant post as Dar was unable to deal with the country’s financial matters due to ongoing court cases and illness. The anti-graft body had also requested to put his name on the Exit Control List (ECL), after which Dar ultimately decided to step down, per a media report.

Apart from his illness, an accountability court on November 14 had issued non-bailable warrants for the embattled finance minister after he once again failed to appear in person, while seeking an exemption from the hearing due to his ailment through the counsel.

Following the issuance of non-bailable warrants, NAB had also asked the Ministry of Interior to place Dar on ECL. Dar was indicted on September 27 in NAB corruption references filed against the Sharif family under the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in Panama Papers case.