On Sunday, the Cabinet Division issued a notification stating that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had been given the additional charge of deputy prime minister. The appointment was made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with immediate effect and until further orders. With this appointment, Dar has become the first deputy prime minister of the country since 2012.
Ishaq Dar has been a prominent figure in Pakistani politics for many years. He served as federal minister for commerce and investment in Nawaz Sharif’s government from 1997 to 1999. He has also served as federal minister for finance, economic affairs, revenue, and statistics twice, from 1998 to 1999 and from 2008 onwards. Prior to his first assignment as federal minister, he was appointed minister of state/chief executive of the Pakistan Investment Board (PIB) from 1992 to 1993. He also served as president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In 2008, Dar briefly assumed the duties of federal finance minister but resigned from the position after the PML-N decided to part ways with the PPP-led coalition government at the center. He was reappointed as the finance minister of Pakistan from September 2022 till the end of the coalition government’s tenure in August 2023.
Dar has long been seen as a key part of Nawaz Sharif’s inner circle. Under Nawaz’s leadership, the former finance minister wielded maximum influence, practically acting like a deputy prime minister, heading more than four dozen committees in various spheres, as per a Dawn editorial from 2017.
Unexpected Move: Ishaq Dar’s appointment as deputy prime minister has caught many by surprise, given his expertise in finance and economic affairs. However, it seems that PM Shehbaz Sharif is making a strategic move to strengthen his government by including experienced and capable individuals in his cabinet.
