Razzaq Dawood to be Imran’s adviser

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday said it will appoint renowned economy expert Abdul Razzaq Dawood to serve as adviser to party chief--Imran Khan.

In a press release, the PTI said Razzaq will advise the prime minister-in-waiting on economy, trade, investment and related matters.

Earlier, the PTI’s likely nominee for finance minister, Asad Umar, said his party would not attempt to privatise Pakistan’s bloated and loss-making state companies, such as Pakistan International Airlines Corp. and Pakistan Steel Mills. Media reports quoted him saying that there will be no relief for the people in the first 100 days of the government.

Umar said within the first 100 days of the new administration, the state-owned firms will be shifted into a wealth fund similar to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pvt to remove them from political interference.

The government will also have to take over some, if not all, of the national airline’s 367 billion rupee debt ($2.1 billion) to start the carrier’s turnaround, he said.