PM grants three-week leave to Dr Pasha

ISLAMABAD: With permission of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Minister of State for Finance and Revenues Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha has been granted three weeks’ leave mainly because of her personal and family engagements.

Top official sources confirmed to The News on Monday that Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha was granted three weeks’ leave. She was expected to return back to join her office by end of March 2023. Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, belonging to treasury PMLN benches, was appointed as Minister of State for Finance along with former finance minister Miftah Ismail in the aftermath of assuming reins of power by PDM-led regime after ousting Imran Khan in the April 2022 last year.

After becoming Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar then two SAPM Tariq Bajwa and Tariq Pasha were appointed in the Ministry of Finance and FBR. However, Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha continued performing her duties and assignments during the recently held parleys with the IMF review mission. These talks were still continuing virtually but now MOS Aisha Ghaus Pasha has been granted three weeks’ leave till the end of March 2023.

When this scribe contacted Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha on Monday for comments and inquired about reasons behind for getting leave, she replied that she got leave due to her personal and family engagements. When inquired about rumors about any consideration for quitting her job, she said that nothing of this sort was so far happened.

But the sources claimed that she was not feeling comfortable with the working atmosphere so she preferred to get leave instead of tendering her resignation at a time when Pakistan and the IMF are making last-ditch efforts to strike a staff-level agreement.

The sources close to her claimed that the Minister of State for Finance so far did not resign and she might join her office after passing three weeks’ leave. In another development, Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha’s name on the official pages of the Ministry of Finance still exists but it cannot be opened properly.

There are four names on the official website of the Ministry of Finance including Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister of State for Finance Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, Special Assistant to PM on Finance and Revenues Tariq Bajwa and Secretary of Finance Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh.

Three names could be opened on the website but the name of Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha has been deactivated for unknown reasons. “There might be some technical glitch but her detailed introduction on the official website of the Ministry of Finance could not be opened at all,” said the official sources and added that it increased the doubts that she might be on her way out from the MOS slot in future.

One senior official told this scribe that there were certain ministers and SAPMs during the austerity related proposals volunteered themselves to step down but Minister of State for Finance Dr Aisha Ghuas Pasha did not show her intention during that specific meeting so it was hoped that she would not be resigning.