Bilawal Bhutto terms Hafeez Shaikh’s removal as victory of PDM

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday termed the removal of Hafeez Shaikh as the finance minister as the victory of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), ARY NEWS reported.

In a message posted on Twitter, Bilawal Bhutto said that the sacking of the finance minister was the victory of the PDM.

“PTIMF minister needed to be elected to continue in post and Senate defeat made that impossible,” he said while attributing to the IHC decision which bared the non-elected SAPMs from enjoying ministerial powers.

He further said that the government has now admitted that inflation is skyrocketing because of its failed policies. “Parliamentary opposition [has] proven most effective vs this regime,” he said in a veiled reference towards other PDM leaders especially PML-N that has stressed upon the need to resign from the assemblies.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government on Monday removed Hafeez Shaikh as finance minister.

Sources privy to this development say Prime Minister Imran Khan will also reshuffle the portfolios of several other federal ministers.

Hammad Azhar, who is currently serving as Federal Minister for Industries and Production, will be given an additional portfolio of the finance ministry.

Read More: PM expresses full confidence in Hafeez Shaikh, directs to continue as minister

Adviser on Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was made the finance minister back in December 2020.

He was sworn in as the federal minister in the wake of the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) December 7 ruling that held that unelected advisers and special assistants could not head government’s committees. The court had set aside a notification regarding the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) headed by Dr Shaikh.

Though mostly elected representatives i.e. members of the National Assembly or Senate can be appointed as federal ministers, a clause in the Constitution provides for a short-term appointment of non-elected ministers.

The ruling party fielded Hafeez Shaikh from Islamabad for Senate seat but had suffered a setback when Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost a seat to a joint candidate of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani.