The writer is a member of staff.
PRECISELY at a time when the government needs a fully functioning finance chief whether adviser or minister it seems the scope of the powers being exercised by Hafeez Shaikh is being chipped away. Coming at a time when the fiscal pressures on the government are growing, talks with the IMF are reaching a crucial stage and the hunger for more resources is rising within the government as opposition pressure ramps up, this is bad news.
Three separate strikes have been scored against the prime minister’s adviser on finance, who also has ministerial powers delegated to him. The first strike was in July of this year, when the prime minister was forced to remove Shaikh as a member of the National Finance Commission award after protests from the chief minister Sindh and particularly after an order from the Balochistan High Court.