Pakistan targets new IMF deal with banker atop Finance Ministry

Government accused of bending rules on cabinet selection

20240319 pakistan bank notes

A man counts Pakistani rupee notes at a currency exchange in Peshawar, Pakistan, in September 2023. The country is attempting to escape an economic crisis with the help of the International Monetary Fund. © Reuters

ADNAN AAMIR, Contributing writer

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan and its new finance minister are setting their sights on a fresh deal with the International Monetary Fund, although the former banker's appointment and other cabinet picks have raised eyebrows.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, 59 and a Dutch citizen until his appointment, was given the finance portfolio last week as returning Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assembled his cabinet following the country's controversial Feb. 8 elections. Aurangzeb was previously CEO of Pakistan's largest bank, Habib Bank, after a career at major Western institutions including Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase.

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