ISLAMABAD: Some of the top bureaucrats of the country are reportedly lobbying for the position of Pakistan’s Executive Director (ED) at the World Bank (WB).
According to sources, bureaucrats who are lobbying for the WB’s position include, Finance Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch, Establishment Division Secretary Ijaz Munir and former State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor Tariq Bajwa.
Earlier, the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) had proposed four names for the position which include Azam Khan, Naveed Kamran Baloch, Ijaz Munir and Tariq Bajwa.
Presently, Shahid Ashraf Tarar is serving as Pakistan’s Executive Director at the WB. His three year tenure is due to end in October this year.
According to documents, the salary package offered to a WB executive director amounts to Rs2.5 to Rs3 million per month.
According to sources, an adviser to the prime minister is backing Kamran Baloch for the position citing his good performance as the finance secretary.
SBP’s former governor Tariq Bajwa has also withdrawn himself as the member of Punjab National Finance Commission in a bid to lobby for the WB executive director post.
The WB executive director is hired to defend development projects of seven countries, provide input on their macroeconomic reports, opinions on global economic issues and to defend quotas and voting rights of their constituency.
According to sources, the EAD has proposed a four year tenure for the next WB executive director.
Sources further added that currently there is no specific tenure for this slot. They said that during Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) last tenure an official remained in the position for a period of five years adding that the WB gives pensions to officers who serve for a minimum of five years.
Moreover, sources further said that Secretary to the Prime Minister (PM) Azam Khan might also be chosen for the position because of his closeness to the PM.
