Ishaq Dar's replacement by Ahsan Iqbal as member of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) is not an indication of his replacement as finance minister anytime soon, sources revealed to this correspondent. The federal government replaced Ishaq Dar with Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal prior to the CCI meeting scheduled on 13 November 2017 as member of the CCI to maintain its majority vote in the body, given that the constitution stipulates that the majority opinion would prevail, sources added.
The President removed Ishaq Dar from the membership of the constitutional body on the advice of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, but this does not imply he would be replaced as the Finance Minister. Sources further stated that the Pakistan Muslim league (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif reportedly wants Dar to retain his portfolio not only to exercise influence on institutions with respect to ongoing cases against him but also to ensure his cooperation in the Hudaibya Paper Mills case.
Sources further said that Dar believes that tendering his resignation at this point of time will further damage his reputation. Ashfaque Hassan Khan, former Adviser to Finance Ministry, said there are no political and moral grounds for Ishaq Dar to continue as finance minister.
Sakib Sherani, former Principal Economic Adviser, told Business Recorder that there is little chance of replacement of Dar as finance minister. "There is speculation that Nawaz Sharif needs Dar -a confidante to continue as Finance Minister at this crucial time when some important cases are in the courts," Sherani added.
Kaiser Bengali former Advisor to Chief Minister Balochistan said that it is not normal for a finance minister implicated in cases, to retain the portfolio while he is neither performing his duties nor resigning from his post. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has already removed Dar from the chairmanship of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet and the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec). Dar has also been separated from the Cabinet Committee on Privatization and the Statistics Division is no longer under the Finance Ministry.
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