The government has decided to appoint Secretary Commerce Mohammad Younus Dagha as secretary finance to replace Arif Ahmed Khan, who is retiring today (Thursday), to deal with the immediate challenges of widening budget deficit and narrow tax base. A notification issued by the Establishment Division on Thursday transferred and posted Younus Dagha, a BS-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Services, presently posted as Secretary Commerce Division to Secretary Finance with effect from March 22, 2019.
A committee constituted for appointment of new secretary finance, sources stated, proposed three names - Secretary Commerce Younus Dhaga, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, and former chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Naveed Kamran Baloch - for the post. All the proposed persons belong to Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS). Three out of five members of the committee, Establishment Division Ejaz Munir, Secretary to Prime Minister Azam Khan and Advisor to PM on Establishment Arbab Shahzad, are also from PAS.
Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood and Finance Minister Asad Umer are the other two members of the committee. Dagha remained in the Finance Ministry as additional secretary (external finance) and special assistant to finance minister in 2013.