Differences with PM’s adviser? Board of Investment chairman quits

ISLAMABAD: The Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman, Zubair Gilani, resigned from his post on personal reasons, a brief press statement of the PM’s Office issued here said on Monday.

A day earlier, a top official had confirmed to The News that Gilani was parting ways with the incumbent regime because of differences with some members of the economic team. "The Chairman Board of Investment (BOI), Zubair Gilani, is on his way out as he has been conveyed plainly either to resign or find any other department if he wants to remain part of the government,” the official said.

The situation was triggered last week when Adviser to PM on Commerce summoned a meeting but as usual the Chairman Board of Investment Zubair Gilani reached the meeting late, soit was conveyed to him to either resign or find out any other department. The adviser was not happy over the performance of BoI for attracting investments. The BoI sources claimed that Zubair Gilani was summoned by PM's Office and it was conveyed to him to relinquish the charge of BoI and find out any other position in any other department.

This scribe sent messages to Chairman BoI Zubair Gilani but “no comment” was his brief response when this scribe inquired from him whether he had tendered his resignation. He stated that Imran Khan was his leader.

Zubair Gilani, according to the sources, had differences with Prime Minister's Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood on different issues including the Special Economic Zones and others. Dawood had raised objections that the BoI was entering into the domain of provinces and must refrain from doing so. The position of permanent chairman FBR has also fallen vacant after incumbent Chairman FBR Shabbar Zaidi took leave on medical grounds for an indefinite period.