Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has not completely ended speculations of his imminent resignation even though he attended office on Monday. While Dar has laid to rest speculations that he would not return to the country after the reference filed against him for possessing wealth beyond his known means of income yet the rumour in the capital is that the routine affairs of the Ministry of Economic Affairs are being dealt with by the bureaucracy while policy decisions are being taken by Miftah Ismail, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Division.

Sources told Business Recorder that Dar arrived in the Finance Ministry at around 3 pm but he did not visibly engage in any official work. He did not hold any official meetings and no one visited him from any other ministry as was the usual practice in the past, sources added.

Finance Minister was conspicuously absent from all important political meetings held in the Punjab House with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif currently in residence there. He was also not present when Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi visited Nawaz Sharif at the Punjab House where reportedly discussions were held on matters relating to the economy.

Sources said that the former Prime Minister was briefed on the overall economic and political situation and performance of various critical ministries including Finance, Energy, and Planning as well as on all ongoing development projects in the country. Nawaz Sharif expressed his satisfaction on the overall performance of the Abbasi administration.

Finance Minister arrived in Pakistan after an absence of eight days on 24 September 2017 with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Political leaders as well as the Senate parliamentary Committee on Finance has urged the Finance Minister to step down and clear his name given that he was facing serious allegations of corruption and money laundering.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017