Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been appointed as deputy prime minister of the country, according to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Sunday.
“The Prime Minister has been pleased to designate Mr Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, as Deputy Prime Minister with immediate effect and until further orders,” read the notification.
Dar was appointed as the country’s foreign minister after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) formed a coalition government following the February 8 elections.
Dar, 73, a chartered accountant and a seasoned politician, is also a close relative of, and close aide to, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
The appointment of four-time finance minister as foreign minister suggested a ramped up role for economics in the nation’s diplomacy as the country tries to secure another International Monetary Fund Deal and shore up external financing from foreign capitals.
“Economic diplomacy is the need of the hour for sure,” Dar had told Reuters following his appointment in March.
Before Dar’s appointment, then Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi remained the only national politician who was appointed country’s deputy prime minister on June 25, 2012 after the-then ruling Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-Q had forged a political alliance at the Centre.
More to follow..