53 Facts About Ishaq Dar

Muhammad Ishaq Dar is a Pakistani accountant and politician who currently serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan since 11 March 2024.

Ishaq Dar was re-elected as a senator on a technocrat seat from Islamabad in the 2024 Pakistani Senate elections.

Ishaq Dar is a proponent of a set of economic policies now known as Daronomics.

Ishaq Dar attended the Hailey College of Commerce, Government College University, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Ishaq Dar began his career as a chartered accountant in the public and private sector.

Ishaq Dar was elected to the senate in 2003 and was Leader of the Opposition from 2012 to 2013.

Ishaq Dar has served as federal minister for commerce; industries and investment; and finance and revenue.

Ishaq Dar was born in Lahore, Punjab on 13 May 1950 into a family of Kashmiri descent.

Ishaq Dar has a bachelor's degree in Commerce from the Hailey College of Commerce of the University of the Punjab in Lahore, which he attended from 1966 to 1969.

Ishaq Dar became an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1974, when he qualified as a chartered accountant.

Ishaq Dar became a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1980 and of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan in 1984.

Professionally, Ishaq Dar is a chartered and management accountant and economist.

Ishaq Dar was director of finance in a London-based textile corporation from 1974 to 1976.

Ishaq Dar moved to Libya in 1976 and worked for the Government of Libya as senior auditor in the Office of the Auditor General's Department in Tripoli.

Ishaq Dar began his political career in the late 1980s as a member of the central executive committee of the Pakistan Muslim League.

In 1993, the then President of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Dar Khan, dismissed the Sharif ministry.

Ishaq Dar became President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry that same year.

Ishaq Dar first stood for the National Assembly in a bye-election after the 1993 Pakistani general election; Sharif had stood and won in two constituencies but had to resign from one.

Sharif's PML again won a clear majority, and Ishaq Dar was Federal Minister for Industries and Investment in from February to July 1997.

Ishaq Dar was then appointed Minister for Finance, and negotiated an International Monetary Fund bailout package.

Ishaq Dar spent nearly two years in jail on corruption charges that never went to trial.

Ishaq Dar later said these statements were made under duress.

On his release, Musharraf remained in power, and Ishaq Dar moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he worked as a financial adviser.

Ishaq Dar's clients included a member of the ruling family.

Ishaq Dar was re-elected to the Senate in the 2006 senate election as a candidate of PML, this time for a term of six years.

In 2011 Ishaq Dar was decorated with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civil award given to Pakistani nationals, for his parliamentary service in Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar was re-elected to the Senate for the third time in the 2012 senate election, for six years as a candidate of PML on technocrat seat from Punjab after which he was appointed by Nawaz Sharif as the Parliamentary Leader of the PML in the Senate.

Ishaq Dar served as a member of the Special Committee on Constitutional Reforms, and co-prepared and passed the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar was a member of the PML's parliamentary board, charged with the selection of candidates for the 2013 general election.

The PML won a majority, and Ishaq Dar resigned as leader of the opposition in the Senate.

Ishaq Dar became Minister for Finance and was given the additional cabinet portfolios of Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatisation.

Ishaq Dar chaired the Special Parliamentary Committee on Election Reforms and the Economic Coordination Committee.

Ishaq Dar was issued the award by an independent publication unaffiliated with the IMF but funded by five Pakistani state-owned firms.

Ishaq Dar was replaced as Chair of the ECC and a committee on privatisation.

The Nation reported that Ishaq Dar wished to leave the cabinet but that it was impossible to relieve him of all responsibility immediately due to the extent of his former responsibilities.

Ishaq Dar was credited with stabilising the economy after the 2013 balance of payments crisis locally and internationally, but critics alleged he had failed to implement structural reforms and manipulated statistics.

In December 2017, an accountability court declared Ishaq Dar a proclaimed offender in a corruption case after he repeatedly failed to appear before the court, and the court subsequently deemed him a fugitive.

In February 2018, the name of Ishaq Dar was shortlisted by PML amongst the candidate for March 2018 Senate election after which Ishaq Dar filed his nomination papers for a general seat and a technocrat seat in the Senate.

Ishaq Dar was appointed minister of finance in September 2022 and served until August 2023.

Ishaq Dar's tenure coincided with a challenging economic period, marked by high inflation and the need for International Monetary Fund assistance.

In January 2023, Ishaq Dar sought US assistance in obtaining IMF funding in view of recent floods and adverse economic conditions.

Ishaq Dar's approach involved advocating for market intervention to stabilize the Pakistani rupee, a strategy that reportedly differed from the IMF's recommendations.

Ishaq Dar was blamed for mismanaging the government response to the ongoing economic crisis.

Ishaq Dar was appointed as the 38th Foreign Minister of Pakistan the following day.

Ishaq Dar expressed intentions to thoroughly assess the trade situation with India following concerns raised by the business community.

Ishaq Dar conveyed his concerns about terrorist hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan to the country's Interim Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, following the North Waziristan terror attack on the Pakistan Army, resulting in the deaths of seven security force members.

Ishaq Dar expressed disappointment at the perceived lack of substantial action from Afghanistan in addressing terrorist groups operating from its territory.

On 28 April 2024, Ishaq Dar was given the additional charge of Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar described the killings in Gaza as a "genocide" of Palestinians and called for an "immediate and unconditional" ceasefire.

Business Recorder commented that Ishaq Dar was to take "lenient" decisions compared to "harsh" attitude.

Ishaq Dar served as finance minister of Pakistan across four terms, implementing economic policies known as Daronomics.

Ishaq Dar belongs to a family of businessmen and traders of Kashmiri origin.

Ishaq Dar is regarded as the most trusted aide of the Sharif family.