Asad Umar in, Khusro Bakhtiar out as president reconstitutes NEC

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has reconstituted the National Economic Council (NEC) according to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Saturday.

Asad Umar has been appointed as member of the NEC replacing Khusro Bakhtiar whose council membership has been terminated. According to media reports the NEC will now comprise 13 members under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan and four provincial chief ministers. Adviser to the PM on Finance Revenue and Economic Affairs Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser to the PM on Commerce Textile Industry and Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser to the PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Ishrat Hussain, Provincial Minister of Punjab for Finance Hashim Jawan Bakht and Provincial Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Finance Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra. From Sindh senior politician Nisar Khuhro and Jan Mohammad Jamali from Balochistan were also included in the council.

The KP Governor Shah Farman, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan and secretaries of finance, planning and the Economic Affairs Division will also attend the meetings of the NEC by special invitation.

The official announcement said President Arif Alvi on the advice of the prime minister has reconstituted the NEC under Article 156(1) of the Constitution. In addition a number of other persons will be invited to attend the meetings of the NEC as and when the agenda relates to matters concerning them. The federal secretaries and chief secretaries of the provinces and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan will also attend the meetings of the NEC by special invitation on need basis.