Ali J. Siddiqui has been appointed as a special assistant to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi with immediate effect, according to a Cabinet Division notification issued Wednesday.

Siddiqui, chairman of JS Bank Ltd and JS Private Equity Management, is the son of Jahangir Siddiqui, a businessman and philanthropist.

Siddiqui, who was named in the Panama Papers leaks in 2016 enjoys the status of state minister under his new appointment, but is yet be assigned a portfolio, DawnNews reported.

He also holds a directorship at Airblue and the Mahvash and Jahangir Siddiqui Foundation, and has previously served as executive director at JS Investments Ltd and as director at Crosby. He holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University.