Finance minister appointed Chiarman ECC, PM Shehbaz, Ishaq Dar removed

ISLAMABAD: Cabinet Division in a revised notification appointed Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb as Chairman of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECE), changing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from the chairmanship of the ECC.

Only a day after announcing the formation of the seven-member Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has also been removed. In a previous notification, PM Shehbaz Sharif was the head of the committee and its members included Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers for economic affairs, commerce, power, petroleum, and planning and development.

READ MORE: Finance Minister Aurangzeb discusses interest rates, inflation, IMF plan

After the criticism unleashed by social media users and economic experts regarding the appointment of PM Shehbaz as the chairman of the country’s top economic affairs committee neglecting Minister for Economic Affairs, Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Cabinet Division released the revised decision on March 23, only a day after the seven-member Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) were announced. Sources in the Cabinet Division said that the prime minister had regretted he would be unable to chair the ECC meetings due to his hectic schedule and engagements.

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed seven cabinet committees, inclu­ding the Economic Coordi­nation Committee (ECC) and the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE). In a notification, the PM was appointed as the chairman of the ECC and the CCoE.