The nation’s leading economists have once again slammed the government of artificially keeping finance minister Ishaq Dar above his actual market value.
“This guy is an accountant,” said Dr Saleem Hassan, professor of economics at LUMS. “Nothing wrong with being an accountant. But that’s his market value.”
“He could head an accounts department somewhere, or have his own firm, but that’s it,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong,” said Dr Faiza Zubair, head of intelligence at Fast Research. “Accountants can, much like, say, engineers or lawyers, make decent finance ministers. But he isn’t that accountant. We know who he is. How he is.”
“The PDM, and the PML(N) in particular, need to let him adjust to his natural market value, which, at best is heading public accounts committee when in opposition, and being parliamentary secretary for finance, once in government.”
“Look at how responsibly the PTI handled this situation,” she said. “They inherited an artificially high commodity in the form of Asad Umar, who was grossly overpaid by Engro. So, yes, they made him finance minister. But then they devalued him to planning ministry, but that is also a critical portfolio, so the party has made the decision to let him settle to be the guy who says ‘Pakistan ki aan hain aap’ before Imran Khan comes to the stage, on days that Faisal Javed is unwell.”
