Ministry of Finance Seeks New Economic Adviser and Joint Chief Economist for 2025-26 Budget

The Ministry of Finance is scrambling to plug two gaping holes in its lineup after Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad snagged the coveted title of Pakistan’s new chief economist, a bombshell dropped by a recent news report.

With the 2025-26 federal budget barreling down the tracks, the economic adviser gig at the Ministry of Finance is now a ghost town, thanks to Dr. Ahmad’s rocket ride from BPS-21 to BPS-22. Before his big leap, he was the ministry’s go-to economic adviser, having cut his teeth there before hopping over to the Ministry of Planning.

Meanwhile, the joint chief economist (JCE) slot is about to be up for grabs too, with Zafar Ul Hassan gearing up to kick back into retirement as he hits the superannuation age.

The government’s got a tough gig ahead, racing to lock down top-tier talent for these pivotal roles, especially with economic planning and the next fiscal year’s prep hitting crunch time.

Looking back, the chief economist throne has seen some long reigns—like the late Dr. Pervez Tahir, who ruled from 2000 to 2006 after grinding as joint chief economist from 1996 to 2000. His exit came under the Musharraf-Shaukat Aziz regime’s axe.

Now, with Dr. Ahmad climbing the ladder, the economic adviser post is still a vacant lot. The Central Selection Board (CSB) just gave the green light to juice up Dr. Raja Hassan Mohsin and Dr. Muhammad Ali Talpur—both Economist Group heavyweights—to BPS-21, though their official badges are still in limbo. Oh, and Nasir Rai, a senior BPS-21 officer, is twiddling his thumbs waiting for a new assignment.

The clock’s ticking—these hires need to be nailed down pronto, with the Minister for Planning, Minister for Finance, and Secretary of Finance all throwing their weight behind the picks. The new economic adviser will be the mastermind behind the Economic Survey 2024-25, the budget’s holy grail.

And the joint chief economist? They’ll be the backbone for wrapping up the Annual Plan and crafting the shiny new Five-Year Plan under the government’s bold Uraan Pakistan vision. It’s game time!