Premier Shehbaz appoints Ishaq Dar as deputy PM of country

In a major development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday appointed  Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as deputy prime minister of the country.

"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 came as a surprise and 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.

Last month Dar was named as the country’s foreign minister. He has earlier served as finance minister from 1998 to 1999, then from March to May 2008.

Dar again led the finance ministry from 2013 to 2017 and then from 2022 to 2023. He has also served the country as minister for industry and investment from February 1997 to July 1997 as well as commerce from December 1997 to October 1999. Previously, Dar was named as the Leader of Opposition in the Senate from March 2012 to June 2013.