Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has restructured the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), assuming the role of chairman himself, a departure from the usual practice where the finance minister traditionally heads the committee. Previously, during the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s government, Miftah Ismail and Ishaq Dar held this position. Similarly, during the caretaker setup, Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar led the ECNEC, following established norms.
In the current setup, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the ECNEC, with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal serving as committee members. Other members include Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Advisor on Finance Muzamil Aslam, and Balochistan Finance Minister Shoaib Nosherwani.
Earlier, on June 7, President Asif Ali Zardari constituted the National Economic Council (NEC), appointing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as chairman and the chief ministers of the four provinces as members. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, and Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal were also named members of the NEC.
Additional members of the NEC included Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, along with representatives from each provincial government. Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisor on Finance Muzamil Aslam, and Balochistan’s Planning and Development Minister Zahoor Ahmed Buledi were also appointed as NEC members.
