ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday appointed Mohammad Younus Dagha as federal secretary finance, a crucial post that falls vacant on Thursday following the retirement of incumbent Arif Ahmed Khan.

Mr Dagha is expected to assume the new assignment on Mar 22, according to a notification issued by the Establishment Division. The position is considered a hot seat in view of rising fiscal deficit amid struggling revenue collection and increasing expenditures — particularly interest payments and defence spending.

Soon after taking over, Mr Dagha is likely to find himself in the thick of upcoming negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package and navigate Pakistan out of the Financial Action Task Force grey list.

Prior to Wednesday’s notification, Mr Dagha was appointed as secretary commerce.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2019