Shaukat Tarin is on Course to Become Finance Minister

Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Finance Minister, announced the election results wherein Shaukat Tarin reigned victorious after a day’s worth of political uncertainty.

While talking to the media, the newly elected senator from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shaukat Fayyaz Tarin, thanked provincial assembly members and the Prime Minister Imran Khan for the confidence and support in getting him elected to the upper house of the Parliament.

Shaukat Tarin said that the country is facing inflation due to higher prices of imports. He said that he will visit KP province monthly and will make sure to release as many funds for the development of the province and PSDP projects.

The newly elected senator, Shaukat Fayyaz Tarin, was flanked by provincial ministers, Taimur Salim Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, and Federal minister, Shibli Faraz.

Notably, four candidates originally competed for the senate seat. Shaukat Tarin of the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Shaukat Amirzada of the Awami National Party (ANP), Muhammad Saeed of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and Zahir Shah of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam JUI (F) were locked in competition for the seat.

Shaukat Tarin got 87 votes from the KP assembly, with 9 votes rejected, while the JUI (F) and ANP candidates got 13 votes each.

Shaukat Tarin’s election has paved the way for him to be elevated to the post of federal minister, as he was previously holding the office of an advisor. It is pertinent to note that Senator Ayub Afridi vacated his senate seat to give way for Shaukat Tarin’s election as senator.

He was made a federal minister in April this year, but after 6 months, he couldn’t continue as a federal minister and was appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, as a non-elected member cannot be retained as federal minister in the cabinet for over 6 months.

After the election, Shaukat Tarin will now present the mini-budget with new revenue measures in the parliament as per the IMF accord.