Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

Abdul Hafeez Shaikh is a Pakistani political economist and technocrat who served as the 20th Finance Minister of Pakistan in the government of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani

Hailing from Jacobabad, Sindh Province of Pakistan, Shaikh educated and earned doctorate from the Boston University in the United States, and has authored books on Privatization initiatives and support for capitalism. Served professor at the Harvard University, Shaikh associated his services with the World Bank, and served as the director of economics operations of World Bank in Saudi Arabia throughout the 1990s. Following the dismissal of government of Prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Shaikh returned to Pakistan in 1999 and served in the provisional government of Sindh. In 2003, he was brought up to national politics by Prime minister Shaukat Aziz[1] and was the second minister of privatization in the government of Shaukat Aziz, oversaw the successful execution of privatization programme of Aziz in the country.[1]

In 2010, he was appointed as finance adviser by Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani but later upgraded to minister after securing his mandate from Jacababad constituency. Since then, he has been directing the economical and financial institutions of the country. In 2012, he became an active member of Pakistan Peoples Party and successfully contested in the 2012 senate elections. Shortly after presenting the federal budget on June 3, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court, alleging that Shaikh holds a dual nationality an allege, if proven true, may disqualified Shaikh from the finance ministry and senate as well.