ISLAMABAD: Former State Bank of Pakistan governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar is likely to become a member of the federal cabinet as special assistant to the prime minister.

With the inclusion of Ms Akhtar, the number of cabinet members will increase to 48 — 24 federal ministers, four ministers of state, five advisers to the prime minister and 15 special assistants.

The appointment of Ms Akhtar has not been announced officially, but a source in the Prime Minister House confirmed that she had been made PM’s special assistant. However, it could not be ascertained what portfolio she has been given.

When contacted, Ms Akhtar neither confirmed nor denied the development. “I am on a plane and will tell you about it (appointment as special assistant) as I get confirmation,” she said.

Shamshad Akhtar has also served as federal minister for finance in the last caretaker government formed to hold the general elections in 2018. According to media reports, she was the first woman in the country’s history to head the board of directors of the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited.

Former SBP governor attends important BoI meeting presided over by prime minister

She also served as a senior adviser to former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and vice president of the World Bank in the Middle East and North Africa.

Ms Akhtar spent the whole day in Islamabad on Friday and attended an important meeting of board of directors of the Board of Investment (BoI) at the PM Office presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The prime minister directed BoI Chairman Zubair Gillani to harmonise within a month the business-related laws enforced at the Centre and in the provinces. The laws should be eased in the light of the board’s recommendations to remove unnecessary conditions.

The meeting was also attended by Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan, Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Dr Salman Shah, Ahmer Bilal Sufi and others.

The meeting discussed the measures to promote local and foreign investment, remove impediments, establish special economic zones and facilitate the industrial sector and business community at the federal and provincial levels.

The BoI chairman presented to the prime minister the first draft of the proposed strategy on investment for 2020-24 that will be finalised in accordance with the suggestions made by the board members.

The meeting was informed that the BoI had initiated the process to bringing harmony among various federal and provincial laws related to the business sector.

It was told that the BoI was also mulling over the laws concerning special economic zones to make them business friendly.

The prime minister said it was one of the government’s priorities to encourage and facilitate investors. He was of the view that disharmony among the federal and provincial laws, unnecessary regulations for business, sadist tendency in relevant government institutions and corrupt practices had created trouble for the business community that had also stagnated the industrial growth.

Mr Khan said the government was taking full advantage of a huge number of young population, low-cost workforce and the government’s liberal investment policies which were providing an atmosphere conducive to investment.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2019