ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund has postponed the appointment of Zafar Hassan as the country’s senior advisor to the Fund’s executive board because of the newly formed government coming into power.
Another reason attributed for the postponement is the previous government’s decision to designate one official for the post instead of a panel of three suitable candidates for appointment as senior advisors to the IMF, reports The News.
And the postponement is not linked to the performance of Shahid Mehmood, a retired civil servant of the Pakistan Administrative Service, who previously served as senior advisor on the 2013-17 IMF bailout programme, officials at IMF told.
Executive Director IMF Jaffar Mojarrad told Shahid Mahmood left the IMF post to assume a senior position in the Ministry of Finance.
He added if Mahmood was selected again, he would have been welcomed back.
The post of senior advisor to the Fund’s executive fund is of prime significance since the incoming PTI government is contemplating various choices to tame balance of payment crisis, which includes asking for an IMF bailout to avoid a default on repayment of foreign obligations.
Also, the post of senior advisor has remained unoccupied for 1.5 years and had been left deserted by the previous government on the excuse that Pakistan had exited the IMF program.
The post was sought by influential bureaucrats but failed to secure the position.
Days before the end of the previous government’s tenure, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had approved a summary designation Zafar Hassan, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Finance for the post of senior advisor at the IMF on the recommendation of ex-finance minister Miftah Ismail.
And the IMF headquarters was told about this development, senior officials disclosed.
However, IMF’s executive director stated it would be suitable considering the sensitivity and nature of the job of senior advisor, the new government and the economic management team be asked about the selection of the senior adviser.
“As is the standing practice in this office, we request the authorities to submit a list of three qualified candidates to us to interview so as to select the candidate who best fits the job requirements, which is rather technical in nature,” said Mojarrad.
