LAHORE: One of the five advisers to the Punjab chief minister resigned here on Tuesday, reportedly to make room for economist Dr Salman Shah in the provincial cabinet as an adviser on finance.

An aide of the CM’s outgoing adviser Akram Chaudhry claimed that Mr Chaudhry tendered his resignation after the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf asked the five advisers that if anyone of them would voluntarily step down so that an economist could be inducted in the provincial cabinet to look after Punjab’s financial affairs.

Under a superior court order, the chief minister could not have more than five advisers.

The aide said Mr Chaudhry was likely to be appointed chairman of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) as the ex-adviser agreed to accept any office to be assigned to him by Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

He claimed that a summary to appoint Mr Chaudhry as PFA chief had been moved along with the one recommending Dr Salman Shah as adviser to the CM in his place.

Having a PhD in finance from Indiana University, USA, Dr Shah has earlier served as an adviser to then prime minister Shaukat Aziz with the status of a federal minister in 2004-08 during Musharraf regime.

His tenure was being termed significant for the development of private sector, large FDI inflows and a return to international capital markets with the issuance of global depository receipts, Eurobond and Islamic Sukuk bond.

He also remained member of numerous committees at major national financial institutions, such as the State Bank of Pakistan, the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the National Institute of Banking and Finance.

Mr Shah is son-in-law of former army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2019