Banker Muhammad Aurangzeb’s role in government committees will be limited as he is tipped for the position of Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, well-informed sources told ProPakistani.
According to a recent court decision, individuals who are not elected officials cannot serve as chairpersons of cabinet committees. Therefore Aurangzeb will not become chairman of any Cabinet Committees upon assuming the role of Advisor Finance & Revenue.
This comes a week after speculation over whether Aurangzeb would become Pakistan’s next finance minister. Aurangzeb is currently the President of HBL and joined the bank as President & CEO back in April 2018.
Sources added there is a provision allowing the Prime Minister to appoint unelected individuals as ministers for a period of six months, during which time they would be eligible to chair cabinet committees. Muhammad Aurangzeb may likely be allowed to head cabinet committees upon assuming the role of federal minister.
The decision regarding who will chair the Cabinet Committees ultimately rests with the Prime Minister. He has the authority to appoint a chairman or designate another individual, whether elected or unelected, to serve in that capacity.
In past governments, non-elected advisors or assistants were not tasked with leading special cabinet committees. Instead, individuals like Shehbaz Sharif, who held the position of Prime Minister, chaired committees such as the Cabinet Committee on Energy.
It bears mentioning that during his time as Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar served as Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), and Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization, including other influential roles within government committees related to state-owned enterprises and inter-governmental commercial transactions.
