ZAHEER ABBASI & SARDAR SIKANDER SHAHEEN

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin is likely to be appointed as Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance on October 16, following the expiry of his constitutionally mandated term of six months as Minister.

With little visible move on the part of the government to either identify the seat on which Tarin would be elected or on the date for his Senate election it stands to reason that Tarin will be appointed as Adviser effective 17th October, well informed sourced told Business Recorder.

As an adviser, Tarin would no longer to be able to preside or attend Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meetings, the highest economic decision-making body in the country, Cabinet Committee on Privatization Commission (CCoP) or cabinet meetings.

Tarin was appointed by the Prime Minister as Finance Minister on April 16 and his six-month term began the next day, April 17, when he was sworn in. 

Shaukt Tarin is scheduled to be in the United States from October 12 onwards to attend the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank annual meeting (11-17 October) and hold policy level talks on the pending review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) though it is unclear whether he will hold these critical talks on the sidelines of the annual meeting or subsequently.